The Queen's Gambit
by Donalbain
Summary: On her twentieth wedding anniversary, Queen Marlena decides to unfold a plan to fix her family's problems. Rated M for language, adult sits and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

_My first fanfic. Please be kind. I do not own MOTU, its characters or other cool 1980s toys. I also do not own MacGyver._

Things taught in NASA's astronaut training program: Creative problem-solving à la MacGyver. How to increase the probability of surviving a crash landing. Zen-like focus on the task at hand in unbelievably stressful physical conditions.

All of those skills kept me alive when my mission failed 20 years ago.

Things not taught in NASA's astronaut training program: Sorcery. Absolute monarchy and feudalism. Alien sex.

I didn't learn about this stuff at the Air Force Academy, Caltech or the JPL, either. I've had to wing it, because my survival depends on quick thinking - like that time I dropped out of the sky onto an uncharted world. That's what I think about when I wake up every morning beside my delectable husband, the high king of this whole planet. No one here gives a shit about my doctorate in astrometrics or the fact that I earned it when I was 25. But everyone here wants a piece of me. Like the queen in a game of chess, I can move in any direction I please, but there's a risk to every move I make.

Risk, yes, but also love, pleasure, thrills, friendship and all types of passion.

Most of the time, the prudent move is to preserve a demure facade and to observe quietly. That may not seem like much of a "move," but I know from experience that it often is a demonstration of great power.

My twin son and daughter are excellent examples of restrained power. They both have secret identities as the champions of Castle Grayskull with supernatural abilities. They put a lot of energy into maintaining their mild-mannered personae, but the secret is poorly kept. I caught on three years ago, right after my son first assumed his superpowers, and I'm fairly certain that most of our long-serving military officers know as well. Their father the king is kept clueless by a hex cast by my former friend, the Sorceress of Grayskull.

This week I'm putting my skills to work and taking a few calculated risks. I've finished my observations, and I'm ready to unfold my plan to fix all of my family's problems simultaneously. The fate of the planet I now call home hangs in the balance. Wish me luck.

 _Author's note: Queen Marlena is a fascinating character from MOTU who is passive and relegated to the background in most (but not all!) MOTU stories. She was an astronaut from Earth who was pulled through a wormhole to another galaxy, and she survived a crash landing on an unknown planet. In flashback scenes from the original Filmation series, it was clear that she and the king fell in love at her rescue, and she looks like a very young mother (definitely under the age of 30), and she had earned the Earthly military rank of Captain at the time of her mission. Based on this information, she must have achieved a high level of education and technical experience at a young age before her mission. That is the type of driven, assertive, intelligent personality that makes an interesting story._


	2. Chapter 2

Some references to marital bliss here. Mature audiences only, please.

My maid Sasha woke me up at the usual time with her cheerful, "Good morning, milady!" Her tone of voice told me that she had heard our energetic lovemaking session before dawn. Afterwards I had gone back to sleep while my husband left to get a head start on the day's work. She set down my cup of tea on the nightstand and asked, "Shall I draw a bath?"

"Yes, but first I need to speak with my son. Will you help me to the toilet and then call him in?"

"Yes, milady." She smirked, but at least she refrained from comment.

I felt queasy and sore all over as I sat up and started to stand. I had forgotten that I wasn't wearing anything. I held onto Sasha's shoulders. "All the bedding needs to be changed."

"Yes, milady."

My 47 year old hips and knees just didn't want to do what they were supposed to do. No regrets. The sex was absolutely worth a few aches and pains afterwards. It was a slow and shaky trip to the bathroom, even with help. As soon as I was seated on the toilet, Sasha slipped a clean nightgown over my naked body and she left a robe on the back of the bathroom door upon leaving.

I emerged a few minutes later feeling a little more like a queen. The chambermaids were just turning down the fresh sheets. Sasha swept in with the packet of the daily paperwork and helped me settle back in bed to read. There was an enormous bouquet of flowers from Randor with a charming note that wasn't graphic at all. I showed it to Sasha with a giggle, and then she went to get the bath ready.

I had just taken my first sip of strong, hot tea when my son Adam knocked and entered. In profile and mannerism, he looks exactly like his father, except that Randor has dark hair and eyes, while our son is fair like Randor's late mother. Adam had a small trickle of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth, which I pretended not to notice. Sasha discreetly slipped out of the room.

"Good morning, Mother."

"Good morning. And how are you today, darling?"

Without answering, Adam walked straight past me and started pulling the bed away from the wall. He went back and forth between the bedposts until the whole bed was an even six inches from the wall.

"For your anniversary, I should get you a bed frame that doesn't shake and bang against the wall." His bed is directly on the other side of that wall. He kissed me on the forehead and sat down.

I smiled innocently. "It would have to be made of concrete, darling, and that wouldn't be comfortable at all. Besides, I have to make plenty of noise to distract your father if you don't want him to find out why you sneak off to Grayskull at midnight and return via window at 4am."

He was speechless. Oh, the look on his face!

"You ought to know by now that you can't keep secrets from me."

Adam looked away, carefully considering his response. "Why did you ask to see me this morning, Mother?"

"To make plans for tonight's party, of course. Your dress clothes are in your chamber. Your beard has grown in and your hair needs a trim - I'll send the barber to you at 4:30. And your fingernails! Manicurist at 4:45. Hide somewhere and get a good long nap before then - I know you didn't sleep last night. And I know the perfect anniversary gift for me and your father: you're going to propose marriage to Major Teela at the party."

"Mom!" Now I've got his attention. His eyes, full of shock and dismay, are locked on mine.

"You and I both know it's the only way to defeat Skeletor. Grayskull's champion will have to join his strength with the magic of Eternia's most powerful sorceress. We saw it last week on the battlefield - it's the reason she was promoted to Major. Besides, you're in love with her, and your father is insisting that you choose a bride. Randor doesn't want any more surprises like the one your sister pulled with Sea Hawk. We can solve everything tonight."

"But she doesn't want anything to do with me!" Instinctively, he dabbed at the blood on his chin. So the injury wasn't caused by his nighttime battle at Grayskull.

"I've been watching and waiting for three years, darling. Now is the time, and I can assure you that she does not hate you." Pausing and cocking my head sideways, I said, "Tell me, why is your mouth bleeding?" I handed him a napkin from the nightstand and watched him squirm.

"This? This is nothing. Teela and I decided to spar early today since you...woke up everyone."

"She cut your mouth?" That would be mean-spirited even for a fighter like Teela. Her job is to train and protect the crown prince, not slice him up.

"No, she...she, uh, bit my tongue."

Too good to be true! I put on my serious face and asked, "And how exactly did your tongue find its way into Major Teela's mouth?"

Without missing a beat, Adam replied, "The usual way, I suppose."

"Did you deserve it?"

He clearly did not want to answer this one. I looked into his eyes and waited.

"She...she learned my secret. I pinned her at the end of our match, and we kissed. She could see inside my mind. I don't know if she'll forgive me." My son's face flooded with sadness and longing.

"She'll forgive you. I'll speak with her and take care of everything, if you promise to be at the party tonight. No excuses."

"Mother, don't - "

"I won't. I'll take care of it." I held his hand as he stood to leave.

"You are full of surprises today, Mother." Adam leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"No more secrets, darling. I've used almost every trick in the book to turn your father's attention away from you, to buy you time. (Don't look shocked, I said, 'almost.') Skeletor escalates his atrocities with each passing day. We have run out of time."

"As always, you are correct, Mother." He bowed gallantly.

Still holding his hand, I said, "I love you. I will do anything for you. Anything."

"I feel the same for you, Mother. Every day I feel it more and more." My darling son kissed my hand before letting go. He left me with a sense of loneliness.

He moves just like his father, I thought. I'd know his gait anywhere, even in disguise. I drank the rest of the tea in one gulp. Sasha dashed in to shut off the bathwater, and stepped out of the bathroom to escort me into my steaming tub. I immersed myself and closed my eyes, remembering Randor's tongue lapping at every crevice of my body. He calls it 'the breakfast of champions.' He really is that good.


	3. Chapter 3

_More references to marital bliss. Mature audiences only, please._

I zipped up my military training uniform and plucked a handful of flowers from the bedside bouquet. A chambermaid wove the pink and orange blooms into an emerald bracelet that my husband had given me years ago. I put on my wedding band and the giant green Star of Eternia. Sasha arranged a few more flowers in my tightly braided hair, and she did my make-up in a light, sun-kissed look. I didn't look sleep-deprived at all when I walked into the dining room for breakfast.

After 20 years, my husband still takes my breath away. He looked up as I walked in, and our eyes met. There was unseen electricity between us. He walked toward me and my heart pounded with joy. Randor held my hand and bowed to kiss it.

"Good morning, my love," he said.

"Don't I get an anniversary kiss?" I teased.

He leaned in to peck my cheek, but at the last second I turned and caught his kiss on my lips. It works every time, starting with our first kiss twenty years ago. His hands slid down my back and squeezed my rear end, pressing my body completely against his. The kiss was soft at first, then with his beard smashing my face, it became rough, hairy and wild. So much for my make-up. At least he didn't ruin my hair. I held onto his head and didn't break off the kiss until I heard other people coughing and shuffling uncomfortably in the room. I looked around: Adam, my husband's best friend Duncan, our daughter Adora and her husband Sea Hawk were all seated around the table. Two servants attempted to remain invisible in the background.

"Adam, have our parents always been like this?" Adora asked.

Adam shoveled some eggs into his mouth to dodge the question. Duncan, who is like a brother to Randor, piped up, "They used to be much worse. The first time I met your mother, they were -"

"Enough!" exclaimed Randor with a warning look. Duncan wore a shit-faced grin.

After a brief but awkward silence, Adora spoke. "Mother and Father, I'm so happy to be here for your anniversary. How many years has it been?"

"Twenty," I say, and watch as Adora does the math.

"But...but how long did you...know each other before you married?" More awkwardness.

Randor chimed in, "Our wedding was exactly thirty-seven days after your mother crash-landed. It was love at first sight when I rescued her from the wreckage."

"Thirty-seven days? And you were already preg-"

Well, I guess today is the day that all our family secrets come out. "You and your brother were born eight months after we married. I always say, if I had to be stranded on an alien planet, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than in your father's arms." Under the table I kicked off a boot and rubbed my foot up his leg.

Randor took that as his cue to change the subject. "Today we will welcome King Boreas and the Ice Lord with their families to negotiate a peace treaty between their realms. I will mediate a closed meeting with them all morning, but I would like all of you to join us for luncheon here at noon sharp. Is that understood?" He glared at our son. I slid my foot all the way up his thigh in an attempt to turn his irritation into something else. An old trick. My favorite trick.

"Yes, Father," answered Adam, Adora and Sea Hawk in unison.

Then he turned to me with a softened look. "My love, did you have a chance to look at the treaty draft yet?"

"I read through it, and all the terms were fair and just. But surely you aren't planning to walk into negotiations with a finished treaty?"

"Why not?"

"Really, my dear. The purpose of the whole thing is the negotiation between two parties! They have to build a trusting relationship between themselves!" Poor thing, he was disappointed. "This is what you are going to do: walk into the meeting with a big smile and an empty notebook. You're going to take notes like crazy, and make mild-mannered suggestions along the way. You know how to steer conversations while making people think it's all their own idea. At noon, you'll hand over your notes to Dal for transcription. Then during your afternoon meeting - "

I saw the light bulb switch on in Randor's head. "Dal will burst in with my draft -"

I interrupted, "But he'll have to correct the tariff rates, immigration terms and boundary disputes to whatever they agree on this morning - "

"- and everyone will feel like something has been accomplished. Right again, my dear. The afternoon session will end by three, when I have a meeting with the military advisory council. Marlena, my dear, could you entertain the ladies in the hours before our party?"

"Oh, yes, I'm keeping my afternoon clear. I'll have Adora and Teela in my solar to dress for the party together, and it would be lovely to add a few more ladies. But I'm booked solid all morning with the development stage of Operation Squirrel."

Duncan looked up and said, "Oh, if you don't mind, Marlena, could you stop in my workshop for a few minutes to de-bug the coridite reactor prototype?"

"Sure, I was planning to stop by anyway on my morning rounds. It's probably just the wiring again." Duncan nodded. I turned to my daughter. "Adora and Sea Hawk, what are you doing this morning?"

"We're bringing supplies to the refugee housing and then we'll visit the new medical center in Eternos City. Many of Skeletor's victims are being treated there, and we really want to spend time with them." Adora took pride in her humanitarian work.

Sea Hawk added, "And we also have an appointment there with the midwife." He rubbed his wife's large belly, and his eyes lovingly twinkled at her.

Clearing off his second full plate, Adam wiped his mouth and stood. "If you'll excuse me, Father and Mother, I have an urgent appointment. I'll see you at lunch." He stopped next to me, kissed my hand and winked. "Happy anniversary, Mother." And he was gone.

Duncan, Adora and Sea Hawk also made their excuses and left, so I put my boot back on, got up and plopped onto my husband's lap. I started feeding him fruit with my fingers. That kept his hands free to wander. The servants disappeared.

In between bites, he teased, "What are you up to today? I know you're trying to distract me."

"Am I succeeding?" I popped a chunk of melon into my mouth.

"Yes, beautifully. But do tell me what I'm not supposed to notice."

"Darling, I'm only plotting to squash your horrid brother while keeping the rest of our family intact."

"I knew it." He started nuzzling my neck and playing with my zipper. Suddenly he had me up against the wall with my jumpsuit unzipped all the way to my crotch. His tongue was in my mouth, and his hand moved down my bare belly into my panties. I heard the kitchen door open and then quickly close again.

I wanted to stay there in his arms all day, but I pulled my face away to call his bluff. "I could serve up dessert for you on the table right now," I purred, rubbing my hand up and down his erection.

Randor's dark eyes burned into me for a long minute. "Molly, there is no one else like you...but I'll save dessert for later." He zipped me back up and and adjusted his tunic to hide his arousal. He picked up his portfolio of documents and pulled out a pencil sketch of me asleep. "I drew this earlier today. Oh, and this," he pulled out a diagram of an electromagnetic disruptor, "is what we discussed last night. Give it to Duncan when you see him."

"So romantic," I sighed. He chuckled. I took his arm and we started walking. One of the things I love most about Randor is that he's always doodling, jotting down ideas, drafting conceptual flow charts, drawing what he sees. He typically has a pencil in hand. His nephew Dal, who doubles as a secretary, has to follow him around every day and collect all the scraps into a portfolio, then organize and file everything away. The thickest file contains drawings of me.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Mmmm, does it matter as long as we're together?" I smiled and tilted my head onto his shoulder. "But I suppose the royal guard is awaiting my inspection on the training ground."

"Molly, you should know that there were more atrocities in the border towns late last night. He-Man arrived as Skeletor was rounding up more slaves. The masters rescued as many as they could. Some of our royal guard were distressed and traumatized by what they witnessed."

"I'll do what I can to boost morale, my love. We must stop Skeletor."

"That's what I'm to discuss with the military council later today. Here we are, my dear," he said, and we stopped at the entrance to the training yard. "Let's put on a show for these soldiers." There in the gateway, in full view of the troops, my husband wrapped his arms around me, gazed into my very soul, and planted a slow, deep kiss. It was delicious.

 _Trying to establish a strong relationship between Marlena and Randor. Ever wonder why Marlena didn't just ask the Sorceress to open a portal back to Earth right after her crash landing? The only possible reason she wouldn't go back is Randor._


	4. Chapter 4

_Ever wonder what the heck Queen Marlena does all day? Hint: it's not needlepoint and tapestry weaving. She's a scientist and a highly skilled military officer._

After the inspection, I encouraged the troops with a short speech about personal excellence and the nobility of serving others. Then I handed my papers, bracelet and rings to a female lieutenant, and I challenged Major Teela to a race on the obstacle course. She accepted after her initial surprise.

"As you know, ladies and gentlemen of the guard, Major Teela still holds the speed record for completion of the course...I believe it's twelve minutes and twelve seconds, correct? Well, I intend to break that record today." The troops cheered, though not very enthusiastically. They didn't believe me. I smiled at the groundskeeper in the corner - he was the only one who knew that I'd been practicing here every night for the past month. Only Sasha knew about my bruises and aching joints, and she assumed Randor was the sole cause.

I went to the starting line with Teela, and we sprinkled chalk on our hands. She whispered to me, "My dear queen, you don't have to do this. Please, I couldn't bear it if you were hurt."

Sucker. She's the one who skipped breakfast. With my most maternal voice, I say, "I'm ready if you are, my sweet girl."

Captain Gen positioned us and gave the signal. I blocked out everything else and started running through the rings, jumping hurdles, down commando-crawling under barbed wire, up the short wall to the rope, swinging over the mud pit to the ledge, across the monkey bars to climb up the rope ladder to the top of the high wall, then rappelling down into the brambles, where I crossed on the 30 foot balance beam and leaped over the last obstacle to the finish line.

At that moment I realized Teela was right behind me. The crowd went wild. A couple of brawny guys reached out and lifted me onto their shoulders. Teela was stunned.

The sergeant holding the stopwatch screamed, "Eleven minutes and fifty-nine point two seconds!"

Geez, they seem surprised by the result. Everyone here has forgotten that I designed and built this obstacle course fifteen years ago. I know it inside-out. It's just that no one has ever timed me before. I look over at the groundskeeper, and he shrugs his shoulders.

With raised fists I yell out, "Eternia! Eternia! Eternia!" It becomes a chant across the whole body of soldiers as I'm paraded around the grounds.

Finally I slide down to my own two feet and ask the sergeant, "Teela broke her record, too, didn't she?"

Grinning, the sergeant says, "Twelve minutes and one point eight seconds. Two records were set today, Your Majesty."

"Make sure it gets around, Sergeant. And the guards with the ten closest times - send them to me in my solar as soon as they're through." To the group I announce, "I'd like to whisk away my dear Major Teela to freshen up and join me for morning tea. I understand she missed breakfast."

The lieutenant returns all my stuff to me and helps me put my bracelet back on. And just like that I've got Teela all to myself. Side by side we walk back to my solar, and I can tell that her pride has been injured. Sasha provides us with hot washcloths, hairbrushes, tea, scones and everything else we could want. As soon as we're alone, Teela says, "You set me up."

"I sure did." I hold onto eye contact.

"Why?"

"Because you've been avoiding me. And Randor. And most of all, Adam. Something has changed - or I should say, many things have changed." Teela looked away. She was fighting back tears. I love this girl. I have to help her through this.

I did what any mother would do. I stood behind her and started combing her hair. I continued, "Teela, my dear girl, do you remember a few years ago when we thought Adam had developed asthma? He kept having those attacks and he even passed out a few times."

"How could I forget? The first time it happened, we were having a conversation in the courtyard when he began coughing and gagging. He kept trying to tell me something, but that only made things worse. His lips turned blue, his eyes were red and streaming, he was clutching at his throat, it was awful."

"What were the two of you talking about that day?" I began French braiding her hair to prolong the conversation. Thick, long, wavy flaming red hair - just gorgeous.

"I asked him why he had run away from a confrontation with Skeletor...I asked if he was afraid, and I said he could tell me anything, that I believed in him. He said he had something important to tell me. But - but - he never got the words out - " Teela's eyes widened in realization. "Wait - was he - ?" She always wears her heart on her sleeve, she never could tell a lie.

"Yes, I think he was trying to tell you about his secret identity. He tried to tell me something a few days later, and the same thing happened. He had episodes for over a month. The medical tests came back normal. I put two and two together, and I confronted the Sorceress of Grayskull. She admitted that she put a hex on him, and she put a hex on me, too, so that I couldn't tell anyone else the secret."

"Then how are we able to talk about this now?"

"We both know the truth already, so it's not a secret between us. But I can't share it with my own husband."

"So Adam wanted me to know all these years, didn't he? But he couldn't - he physically couldn't - " Her aquamarine eyes brimmed with tears.

"No, he couldn't. And now he's afraid you won't forgive him."

She covered her face in her hands. "Oh - I'm the one who should ask forgiveness! I hounded him, I called him a coward, I -"

"Teela, you're being too hard on yourself. I spoke to Adam this morning. He cherishes your friendship. He loves you." That got her attention.

"What?"

"My son is in love with you. Randor is pressuring him to choose a bride at tonight's party, but Adam won't do it, because he is true to you alone."

"Me? But we're not like that…"

"I needed to be alone with you, Teela, to ask you this: can you find it in your heart to consider Adam as a suitor? Or should he find someone else to marry?"

Teela looked perplexed and horrified. "But I've never even thought about marriage...with anyone…"

"I promise I'll never bring it up again, my dear. I just wanted to give you all the facts in private, so that you may make your own choice. Randor has invited at least fifty eligible young ladies tonight, but if it's too much for you, you don't have to come."

That did the trick. All I had to do was step back and wait. Her face changed from girlish confusion to steely resolve. Teela, her eyes now dry, simply stated, "I don't have a gown to wear. Or dancing shoes."

I couldn't help it, I was beaming with joy. "I have plenty of gowns and shoes to share. Could you come back here at three? Adora and a few other ladies will be preparing for the party with us."

"I - yes, I mean, I don't know, I - "

"You'll be the belle of the ball, I promise. It's the perfect way for you and Adam to get your friendship back on track, and move things forward." Teela winced at that. "You don't have to get married tomorrow, just keep an open mind and see what happens." Teela started to move for the door, but I spun her around and hugged her.

She's a good three inches taller than I am, broader and more muscular. I remember when her father first brought her to live at the palace, how sweet it was to hold her in my arms then. This went much better than I expected. I thought to myself, I love you so much, and I'll finally be able to call you my daughter.

Aloud, Teela answered my thoughts, "And I'd love to call you Mom."

She's listening inside my head, and she doesn't even realize she's doing it! I use all my energy to focus on seeing her at 3pm. I really have to be more careful about my thoughts when I'm around her. I stroke her cheek and smile softly, saying, "To me you'll always be the tiny, perfect baby girl whom Duncan brought home to the palace."

Smiling back, Teela says, "See you at three...Mom." Just as she puts her hand on the doorknob, there's a knock.

Outside my door are ten sweaty, muddy soldiers. The cream of the crop. Teela excuses herself, and I usher in the group. Six female and four male guards, almost all of them shorter and more wiry than I am. At the end of the line is one of the big guys who lifted me up on the training grounds. Every single one looks bewildered about being invited to my solar.

"At ease, soldiers, make yourselves at home and I'll explain everything," I begin. I pass around a plate of scones and start pouring cups of water. This gives me the chance to get a good look at each candidate. They're all young. The oldest is maybe 23 or 24, the youngest is 16 or 17.

When everyone is settled, I say to them, "Congratulations, you were the quickest and most nimble on the training course today. That's the type of soldier I need for my special mission. It will require stealth, athleticism and absolute secrecy. I guarantee the highest level of danger. Everyone will be given a code name, and you will be required to leave behind all personal effects, including your military ID. If you are not comfortable with any part of what I just said, you may return honorably to your former duties at this time." I gesture toward the door.

Total silence. No one moves.

The big guy raises his hand tentatively, "Uh, Your Majesty, are you asking us to take down Skeletor and his crew?"

"No, darling, at least not directly. This is Operation Squirrel. I'm giving everyone one more chance to leave. After this, you are sworn to secrecy." I pause, examining each face before me, and still no one moves.

"The target is Snake Mountain. The goal is to weaken the enemy. I have other plans in motion to weaken him in other ways. We are going to wait until Skeletor's forces are engaged in pitched battle elsewhere, then we will eliminate any remaining guards in the mountain and evacuate surviving prisoners from the dungeons. I have developed a small plastic explosive made with granulated coridite that is easy to transport and approximately twelve times more powerful than a standard issue grenade. Our team will identify all structural support columns and fuel tanks. We will attach explosives to each identified target on every level of the mountain, and we will evacuate from the top level by rappelling down from the snake's head. When we reach our rendezvous point and account for everyone, we detonate - preferably with Skeletor inside the mountain, but we may not get that opportunity. Understood?"

A young woman asked, "When do we start? And when can we familiarize ourselves with the supplies?"

"The operation is on standby until the ideal opportunity arises. I have assembled nine out of the twelve supply backpacks already, and I already fully stocked a secret supply cache at another rendezvous point. When the operation is activated, I will reveal all of the rendezvous points and stages."

A man, who appeared younger than my Adam, questioned, "Do you mean that there will be twelve total operatives? There are only ten of us here."

"I'm number eleven, the team leader. And my husband insists on being number twelve. We would never ask anyone to do something that we ourselves will not do."

They all gasped at the thought of working so closely with their king. "For the purposes of this operation, he's just a soldier like you. Now, code names. No ranks. I am Cleo, my husband is Tony." Going down the line, I assigned names. "Finch, Gecko, George. Kai, Zulu, you look like a Mike. Victor, Yankee, Oscar. And you, big guy, are my Moose. Remember your names, they will not be recorded anywhere. Questions?" Hands shot up.

"Your Majesty, how long has this operation been in the planning stages?"

"First, stop calling me 'Your Majesty.' I am Marlena, or if it makes you feel better, you may call me 'Milady.' I consider you my equals. Next, this project has been in development for about three years. It will be executed probably within the next six months, or sooner if the opportunity presents itself."

"Your - I mean, Milady, what happens if you or the king are killed or injured in action?"

"Injured team members will be removed from the scene. But deceased or mortally wounded team members will go down with the mountain. The orders are to complete the mission."

"Who knows about Operation Squirrel?"

"The king, our Man-At-Arms General Duncan, and myself. My son and daughter know that I'm up to something, but no details. Your commanding officers will only know that I have personally called you to a special ops mission. When the team is activated, you must leave your post immediately and report to the assigned rendezvous point. Anyone who divulges the mission name or anything about the mission will be dishonorably discharged, and I will deny everything, including our acquaintance."

"How will we know that we've been activated, Milady?"

"I have specialized communicators that you will wear until the mission is completed. We can go now to General Duncan's workshop to review the supplies."

"Marlena, what's a squirrel?" Everyone laughed at that, even me.

"On Earth, a squirrel is a small creature of the forest known for its agility and climbing ability. They look harmless, but if one gets inside a house, it can make a huge mess and become destructive. On this mission, we'll all be squirrels. Squirrels with bombs."

No more questions. Ten pairs of eyes glued on me, all on fire. I picked up Randor's prototype diagram so that I could deliver it to Duncan. "Let's go, team. Try to walk casually."


	5. Chapter 5

_Some profanity in this chapter. Do not read if you are under 16. We're continuing to follow the queen on her schedule as she puts her plans in place. It's all Marlena's POV._

I enter the security code, and the workshop door slides open. I go in first to let Duncan know what's going on. But before I can say a single word, Duncan is already jonesing for my attention on his projects. The team files in behind me while he tries to steer me toward the latest prototype.

"It'll only take a minute to check it over…" he says, unconvincingly.

"Blueprints?" I ask, knowing full well that there are no blueprints.

Duncan narrows his eyes, but makes no further comment. "Very well," I say. "A quick check."

I hand him the new diagram from my husband, grab a flashlight and squat down to look at the electrical components. Sure enough, there's not one, but three wires attached to the wrong places. I fix them, and the reactor springs to life.

"What the fuck?" I shout at Duncan. "Are you trying to electrocute me? Why didn't you disconnect the power supply first?"

He doesn't say anything. Not even 'thank you.' Typical.

"You're welcome," I snap at him and storm off, gesturing to my muddy soldiers to follow me. I have my own study room in the workshop - we all squeeze in somehow. Three backpacks are on the lab table, and I open them to display the contents.

"Each of you will receive a backpack for the mission. It contains a basic survival kit with rations for 48 hours, an arm cannon and a hunting knife, a compact rappelling set, 25 small plastic explosives and one detonator. Don't be fooled by the size of the explosives. We are going to flatten Snake Mountain with these."

One of the young women asks, "Milady, is it dangerous to carry these explosives on our backs?"

"No, the granulated coridite is inert until detonated, so it's perfectly safe to transport. Here, I want everyone to hold one to see how it feels and how it sticks to surfaces." I passed them out to the awed soldiers. I thought they were in awe of the bombs, but their questions were all about me.

"How do you come up with these ideas? Weren't you in danger with the materials? You invented this?"

"Yes, and plenty of other things, too...but Man-at-Arms has invented even more. Take a look at these cubes, care to guess what they are?" In the palm of my hand, I hold out one of twelve small metal boxes with four buttons on top and an aperture with a red light and a green light on the front face. "This little baby kept me busy for years researching particle physics. I drew the plans for it, and Man-at-Arms built the prototypes."

The short, wiry man whom I codenamed Gecko spoke up, eyes flashing with cleverness, "It almost looks like a camera, or a storage device. But storage for what?"

"You're on the right track, Gecko. I like the way you think. Where I come from, there is no magic. I know that's hard to believe. But when I first saw Eternia's magic with my own eyes, I knew there must be a scientific explanation for it, and I hypothesized that it came from some type of reaction at the subatomic level. After experimenting for a long time, I discovered I was right. So then I wanted to find a way to capture these energy particles...and this device will drain a source of its magical energy - I call it Pandora's Box. Four buttons: on, off, absorb, expunge. Green light while it's working, red light when it's full. One per backpack."

"Milady, does it really work?"

"Yes, all tests have been successful so far. But they're still considered prototypes."

Their curiosity spiraled. "What else have you invented? Anything we've heard of? Do you always talk to the general like that? Why do you keep quiet about your accomplishments, Milady? We've never seen this side of you before today."

I was amused by their interest and candor. "Public information gives the enemy a tactical advantage. Most of the time it pays to shut up. Tell you what, I'll spin some good stories for you while we're hiking back from our mission. For now, you need to see our rendezvous for the mission's starting point. Here, three of you take these backpacks, everyone else take the Pandora's boxes. Hangar 15."

"But there are only 14 hangars in the palace."

"Hangar 15 is classified. Come this way. Don't get lost." I lead them down to the tunnels, and open a false wall. There was Hangar 15.

"We have four Sky Sleds and a Wind Raider for the mission. Oh, hang up the packs over there with the others." I open a cabinet. "Here are your communicators. Tune them to channel 86. I will call you to this location when the mission is a go. Thank you for your service. That is all. If you need to speak with me before the mission, meet me in my solar. No appointment necessary. Guards, you are dismissed."

They line up and head out. They salute me on the way out, and I salute back. The last one is a female guard with her brown hair in a ponytail. Code name Yankee, because she looks like an all-American girl next door. She can't be more than 18. She suddenly turns around, smiles and hugs me, saying, "Thank you, Milady, thank you for the honor." Yankee leaves with the others. I sure hope she comes home alive.

I check the locks, and in the far corner with some camping supplies and old tarps, I spy my son's boots sticking out alongside the green and yellow striped tail of an Eternian tiger, my son's pet Cringer. I shut off the lights in the hangar to let them sleep. Time to clean up, change clothes and switch gears for the diplomatic luncheon.


	6. Chapter 6

_Another vignette with backstories._

When the luncheon is over, I walk arm-in-arm with Adora back to my suite. Adora was unusually cheerful and chatty. She was forcibly taken from us as an infant, and only returned home permanently six months ago, so I do cherish these happy moments.

My normally serious daughter prattles uncharacteristically, "When I heard you and Father early this morning, I thought that Adam was entertaining a certain someone in his room...but Sea Hawk said everyone was going to assume it was the pregnant newlyweds, so…" She's giggling so much that she can't finish the thought.

"And so he made a move?"

More giggling. "Several moves, actually. But when - when! - will Adam finally break the ice with his beloved Major?"

I sigh. "Well, that's one of the things I need to talk to you about. The ice is broken. I need your help to crank up the heat tonight."

"Oh." Adora pauses and looks up. In the hallway just outside my suite is a life-size full portrait of Randor's late mother, also named Adora. The spitting image of my daughter: a tall and fit frame with large, sparkling blue eyes, long blonde hair, a heart-shaped face with high cheekbones, rosebud lips. A real Amazon. And in the portrait, Grandma Adora is also in the full bloom of pregnancy, a symbol of Eternia's future. Randor finds the resemblance unnerving but also enthralling - I often catch him studying our daughter's features as if spellbound.

"Did you know her, Mother?"

I shake my head. "No, darling. She passed away twelve years before I arrived. Your father was heartbroken - that's why you're such a comfort to him now - it's as if a part of her has returned to our home."

"You named me for her. Who was Adam named after?" We enter my suite.

I give my usual spiel, "I wanted him to have an Earth name. In one of Earth's holy books, Adam is the first man created by the one God."

Adora locks the door behind us. She says, "Good answer, Mother, but I don't think that's the whole story. You're not religious. You lost your all your friends and family when you came here. You must have named your son for someone. Who was it?"

No one, not even Randor, has ever pursued this line of questioning. My daughter and I face off in silence - should I really tell her? The truth is locked up inside my heart.

"You're being evasive, Mother. Now I know there is indeed a someone. Hmmm...you would have told me if it was a family name, sooooo...it must be a boyfriend. And I want to know all about this Adam. Right now. It'll be our secret." Adora rolls onto the bed and pats the spot next to her.

I burst out laughing. I take my time removing my dress and jewelry, putting on my bathrobe, before I snuggle up with my daughter.

"Wow, Mother, I didn't realize how muscular you are," says Adora, watching me change. "I feel like there's so much I don't know about you…"

"Well, you know, I studied at a military academy starting when I was 18. We went through basic training and daily drills. That's where I met Adam, but everyone called him Ace because of his flying skills. Ace Gray. I haven't said his name aloud in years."

"Does Father know about him?"

"Yes, he knows everything except his real name. Don't you dare spill that tidbit! Anyway, Ace grew up piloting his father's crop dusters in South Dakota, which is mostly farmland. At the academy he needed a tutor for science and math, because only the top students made it through pilot training. So I helped him with academics, and Ace helped me with the physical conditioning. He also prevented the upperclassmen from hazing me - the hazing for women was brutal. He was a gentleman, and we were inseparable. He even became an astronaut so that we could work together. We were a couple off and on for 8 years, until my mission with the Rainbow Explorer...I told him he had to move on with his life. I was committed to my career, not to Ace."

"But you never forgot him. Do you still love him?"

"A part of me always will. Love never dies. But my love for your father is...uh...high voltage. Any more questions?"

"Voltage? You really like those science metaphors." Adora flashes a devilish grin. "So, are you going to tell me that story that Man-At-Arms wasn't allowed to tell at breakfast? About what you and Father were doing when Man-at-Arms first met you? Then I want to know what's going on with Teela. She was always moody, but now she's really - well, something is just off-kilter."

"Will you answer my questions in return, darling?"

Adora hesitates, and then nods.

"As for the first question, use your imagination. As for the second -"

"But didn't you have broken bones?"

"My left elbow, left femur and hairline fractures on two of my left ribs. I got off lucky. Even with the healer visiting me twice daily, it was three weeks before I could walk."

"How did you and Father manage to -"

"Very carefully. We both enjoy a challenge. We got plenty of practice." Adora and I laughed hard. "Now let's talk about your brother and the Major. How much do you already know?"

"Only that Adam talks about her constantly and then avoids her. And strange things always seem to happen when she's around, and she seems to dislike everyone."

"It's not dislike. It's distrust. And with good reason. Do you know who her birth parents are?"

"No," says Adora cautiously, "not for certain - I have a hunch -"

"Teela doesn't know, either. But she senses that those closest to her are hiding something, pushing her away. And now -"

"And now she's got this magic trying to express itself. I couldn't believe it when she produced that force shield last week, she saved all of our troops - I was watching from inside Grayskull's tower. She seemed to anticipate every single one of Skeletor's tricks, and somehow she made him think He-Man was doing it all. I've never seen anything like it, not even on Etheria with the daily skirmishes between the Horde and the Rebellion, with magic on both sides." Adora pauses to consider what she witnessed. "But why does she have magic now, after going through life without it?"

"I don't know for sure, darling, but I think her magic was blocked. And while it was blocked, it kept growing, until...until it couldn't be blocked anymore. At first I noticed that Orko entertained the court flawlessly, unless Teela was present. His magic tricks would backfire in her presence, usually on Duncan - who deserves it, by the way. A subconscious sabotage. Teela loves her father dearly, but she also resents him, because of the secrets he keeps. Then I saw that Skeletor's sharpshooters always seemed to miss their targets when Teela joined the battle. Last year she had to take over for the Sorceress of Grayskull just for a day, and she became telepathic - supposedly that power was removed, but...now at home she answers my unspoken thoughts, and she finishes other people's sentences without realizing it."

Adora blinks sleepily. I'm talking too much. Adora asks, "I know that she and Adam were best friends growing up. What can I do to help your matchmaking scheme?"

"Just be kind, my dear. Treat her like a sister. Now close your eyes." I kiss my daughter's forehead, and rest my head on the pillow beside her. No more questions today. When Adora passes beatifically into her nap, I tiptoe away to my closet and start pulling gowns for the young ladies to try on before the party. I even have a rainbow formal maternity dresses for my darling Adora.


	7. Chapter 7

_Mature content. Do not read if you are under 18. Queen Marlena is a scientist, so she uses scientifically correct terms for anatomy._

My solar is full of ladies getting ready for my anniversary ball: three of my assistants plus my daughter Adora fresh from her nap, the newly promoted Major Teela, and our visiting dignitaries, Princess Janice of Arktos, who is trying on many different gowns, the Ice Lord's wife Lady Chione and her daughter Snowflake. As usual, Adora dressed quickly and is now entertaining our guests with tales of the victory over the Horde on Etheria, while I keep Teela's nerves calm by chatting about the feasibility study for a new electromagnetic pulse weapon.

Fumbling with my hairpins, I explain, "So it would simultaneously disable all of the enemy's machines by reversing polarity at an atomic level - without harming living organisms. The main problem is controlling the direction of the pulse so that it doesn't disable our machines as well…" I glance over at Teela to see how she's handling the make-up and hairstyling. My hair is in rollers on the right half of my head.

"I'm sure we can come up with some kind of dampener to narrow the pulse radius, Marlena," she answers thoughtfully. "Can you imagine? Being able to knock out an entire robot army in one shot? How long would it take to develop and test the technology?"

"Good question, darling. Hmmm, Sasha, I like the bronze around her eyes, very dramatic and youthful. But make sure Major Teela gets a clear gloss on her lips, no color, and I don't think the up-do is quite right for the occasion - try a half up, half down - "

There's a knock on the one of the doors, and we all turn to see my husband, King Randor of Eternia, entering from the bedroom. Adora immediately rises and embraces him. Randor kisses her and, smiling, he rubs Adora's very pregnant belly. He greets the other ladies cordially, then comes over to me and Teela.

Randor begins with a bow, and says, "Major Teela, I am happy to find you here with my wife. You do us a great honor by celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary with us." He knows quite well how much work I put into getting Teela here.

Teela looks up at him and only manages to say, "The honor is mine, sir."

Randor touches my shoulder. "Molly." He doesn't have to say anything else. We both feel it. He holds out his hand, and I take it.

Sasha knows that it's a booty call, and she protests, "But Milady, your hair!"

"I'll be back in twenty minutes. The party can't start without me anyway," I say. Two years ago there was no party.

I shut and lock the bedroom door behind me. Randor sweeps off his tunic and kicks off his boots. Familiar battle scars riddle the sculpted muscles of his shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen...nothing soft or feminine about him. I drop my bathrobe and say, "I'm still sore from this morning."

He grins lopsidedly. "I'll be gentle."

"No, you won't," I answer, and I'm on him. I never thought I'd be into big, hairy, macho guys, but here I am with the biggest, hairiest, most macho guy on this planet, and I can't get enough. No one is more surprised than I am.

Deep into my ear he murmurs, "I love you." And it is intoxicating. I kiss up his neck and into his beard until I find his mouth. He responds tentatively at first, as if he's seeking permission, then it becomes savage. I break off and start a trail of kisses down his chest. My strategy is to get him off quickly so that I can finish dressing for the party without a mess.

In an instant I'm on my knees slurping him up. He sighs and leans back against the wall. Pleasure is really a science: it consists of applying the right texture, temperature and pressure on the right nerve endings. I lick down his shaft and around his testicles, then I lick two of my fingers before returning up to his glans and applying my whole mouth with suction. I reach around, and finger his anus with the two wet fingers until I find my way inside. He gasps and groans while I probe and suck. I can tell my husband is holding back his climax. He doesn't want it quick and easy this time.

"Wait, Molly. On the bed. I want to look into your eyes." Oh, he's such a romantic.

"You've got 18 minutes left, darling."

So I stand and find myself crushed in his arms, pushed back to the bed. We roll around for a bit, and as soon as I get him on his back, I scoot up to straddle his face for a mustache ride. Randor grabs my hips with both hands and digs in like a kid who's just been presented with a triple scoop ice cream cone. Usually it only takes about four minutes for me to climax this way, since Randor is so skilled. It makes the rest of the interlude much smoother. I have to hold onto the headboard to steady myself. After about three minutes, I know I'm getting close, so I decide to say his name. He loves it when I do that.

"Oh, Randy, yes, yes, Randy…" Then I lose the ability to speak as waves of pleasure radiate out from my clitoris, spreading down my legs and up my body.

When I catch my breath, I move back down his body until we're face-to-face. I held his erection and rub it on my vulva until he slides inside. I rock slowly while we kiss deeply. I can't help remembering how it felt to be exploring all alone out in space month after month, too far from Earth for radio contact, so sure that I was about to die in that tin can. I thought I'd never see another living thing again. I was starved for human touch, or even just the feeling of being near someone, being able to look at someone's face, hear someone's voice. The memory makes me even more hungry for Randor. Ravenous.

He flips me roughly and pins me on my back. "Time to speed things up," he says. His mouth is all over my face, while I nip at his ears, cheeks and neck - just enough to excite without hurting. Randor grabs my left leg, slings it over his right shoulder, and gets to work. He pushes gently, and gradually increases his speed. The warm pressure inside thrills me. Now I'm sort of sideways, and all the stretching makes me tingle in all the best places.

I manage to squeeze out the words, "Randy, I'm coming." I try to keep my eyes open. This time the orgasm is sharper but shorter, and I arch my head back involuntarily as I cry out. Randor feels more virile when he gives me multiples, so he's still holding out, but just barely. How I love this husband of mine! He slows down his thrusts, and finally pauses. Beads of sweat glisten and slide down his neck. He leans toward my face, and I lick his sweat before sinking my teeth into his collarbone. No blood, but my mark is there. My darling husband smiles.

"Ready?" he asks. Without a word, I pull back my knees almost up to my shoulders. He leans forward, pressing my back into the bed, until our faces are about six inches apart. Then he drills me hard. I feel sky high, and it's even more intense because of the way he looks into my eyes. I see it clearly now: my husband is afraid of dying. He thinks we're going to get killed tonight. He wants to feel alive. Alive with me.

I hold onto his gaze even while the bed is shaking like crazy. I scratch and claw at his back and arms. When my climax starts, I clamp down on him with my vaginal muscles as forcefully as possible. That finishes the job. I can hear us making noises, but it sounds far away. I just feel totally connected to Randor, and nothing else exists. It's beyond pleasure.

Then reality hits. Forty-seven year old hip joints aren't supposed to be quite so flexible, even if the owner stays fit. I lower my legs. Nothing's broken. Again, it's worth the aches and pains.

Randor pulls out and starts paying a lot of attention to my breasts. But the twenty minutes are up, and he knows it.

"It's customary to engage in foreplay before intercourse, darling, not after," I tell him. He doesn't appear to be in a rush to get ready for our party.

"That was all foreplay, my dear." He knows that my skin is hypersensitive after a triple-play like that, and he'll do whatever it takes to keep me in bed. Randor kisses down my arm to my hand, and bites my wrist slowly and deliberately. He wants to start another round. I roll on top to kiss and caress my lover some more, then I pull back.

"What is this all about?" I ask. "What happened in the military advisory council this afternoon?" By the look on his face, I know I'm on the right track. The sexy mood is dead. Randor sits up.

He sighs. "I gave the order today. Skeletor and his supporters are to be executed on sight. The atrocities they've been committing...I won't allow that to continue…" My husband is downtrodden, but I'm thinking, _It's about fucking time_.

Instead, I stroke his cheek softly and say, "Darling, it must have been very difficult…"

Randor sees through me - he knows I'd love to see that asshole's cold, dead body chopped into mincemeat and fed to dogs. He says firmly, "Marlena, he was my brother. I was planning to rule the kingdom jointly with him before…"

"Key word, darling: **_was_**. He _was_ your brother, but he lost that honor. You made the right decision today." I don't have to remind him that this brother kidnapped our infant daughter years ago, and when he kidnapped me last year, Skeletor took credit for the mysterious deaths of Randor's mother and sister. The only reason I haven't pressured my husband to assassinate his brother is the problematic process of killing of a dark wizard - and making sure he stays dead.

"There's nothing right about it. The order was necessary."

I have nothing to add, so I stand up and reach out for my husband's hand. "We need to clean up before the party. Come here, loverboy."

Sometimes I try to calculate the percentage of time in my marriage spent together in the bathroom on basic grooming. One of us sits on the toilet musing about life while the other brushes teeth. Or we wash each other's backs in the shower or trim each other's toenails by the sink. In the context of a whole day it doesn't seem like much, but as a function of our time alone together during waking hours, it seems disproportionate. Maybe 10%.

Randor's attitude brightens in the shower thanks to my handiwork, but I take evasive action before things get out of control. In the mirror I see the curlers barely clinging to my wet hair, so I hustle back toward my ladies in the solar to get my hairdo fixed. Randor grabs me for one last embrace. He tastes minty fresh.

As I reach for the doorknob, I say, "Darling, you should have told me about the execution order sooner. I might have let you tie me up and spank me." His lightning-quick response is to lift my bathrobe and whack me on my bottom. I yelp and stumble into my solar with my naked husband hiding behind the door and laughing.


	8. Chapter 8

I wiggle into my evening gown and get my hair and make-up done by Sasha's expert hands in record time. Meanwhile, Lady Chione only makes two dirty jokes about my marital relations.

Adora is finishing her story with a grand flourish, "So Queen Castaspella married that HVAC technician - the same one who taught us how to plug the Fright Zone's intake and exhaust vents! Everyone in the Fright Zone died overnight, and all of Shadow Weaver's magic was undone. Since Hordak had already assassinated his brother Horde Prime, there was no longer a threat from the Horde. Half of the rebels built a huge funeral pyre for the bodies and worked on demolition of the Fright Zone, while the other half liberated the slaves from the mines. As soon as Sea Hawk and I left Etheria, the queens combined their power to seal the planet from outsiders. So now Etheria is finally at peace."

Rell brings out the jewels, and all the ladies ooh and aah around me. I insist on a pair of 6-inch hairpins encrusted with crystals. I always have at least one weapon on my body, and these are the prettiest weapons I've ever seen. Emeralds on my ears and around my neck - they make my hazel eyes look brighter - and the Star of Eternia on my left ring finger.

"I hope to give this ring to my son's bride-to-be someday soon," I tell the ladies, and Major Teela looks me in the eye. It will be hers by the end of the night, I hope.

Adora picks up a pair of emerald bracelets and offers to help me put them on. As she clasps the first one onto my right wrist, she sees the bite mark and glances up at me, shocked.

"Honestly, Mother…" But she stops there. So I change the subject.

"Adora, darling, I have some sapphires that would look lovely with your gown. And Teela, I have just the thing to complement your style - " I hold up matching golden armbands that look like coiled snakes. There's a snake hair clip, too. She's not the flowers-and-butterflies type.

One by one, the ladies excuse themselves to join their escorts for the party, until Teela and I are alone, doing one final check in the mirror, side by side.

Time to give Teela a run-down of the evening's plan. "Adam has to give the first dance to Princess Janice because her father is one of our guests of honor," I say. "I get the next dance with him, and then I promise I'll steer my son directly to you. I've arranged for you to be introduced at court after all the other eligible young ladies, so you'll make the final, and grandest, entrance. So don't worry at all about Janice. You're simply stunning. My son won't know what hit him."

Teela is a good three inches taller than I am, and a lot more muscular, but she's wearing one of my old gowns from my curvier days. It's a teal halter dress with a v-neck that goes almost down to her navel. The color brings out the fire in her aquamarine eyes. Backless, plenty of skin. The long skirt is so tight that she can't wear any underwear, and it has a high walking slit. Some of her hair is swept up in the snake clip, and some of it spills over her shoulders and back. She'll be sending a clear signal to my son, Adam, the crown prince. Perfect.

"And you, Lady Queen, are beautiful as always," says Teela. "But you should know that Princess Janice is planning a tryst with the Ice Lord's son tonight. It's all she could think about." Her eyes twinkle in merriment. Behind her smile I can see her ambiguity.

I never doubted my son's feelings for her, but something is holding Teela back. "You're right," she says. "There is something holding me back."

"What is it, my dear?" I ask.

"I need to know who I am and what's happening to me," she answers. Teela holds both of my hands gently, and our eyes meet.

I feel a little dizzy as Teela's bright eyes, always hovering somewhere between blue and green, pierce me. She's much stronger than I thought she was. I know that she is entering my mind, but I'm not sure what she seeks. I show her some of my memories of holding her and acting as her wet-nurse when her father Duncan first brought her to live at the palace as an infant. Memories of raising her alongside my own son while my daughter was still missing. Teela was such a comfort to me then, such a joy. She knows this and feels it deeply. She searches further and sees the moment three years ago when I discovered that my son had a secret identity as He-Man, champion of Eternia. She sees me hiding this fact from my husband by distracting him with sex. Then Teela finds a stash of all of my collected observations of her growing power - all the times she unknowingly disrupted the court magician's abilities or magically diverted an enemy attack or answered aloud someone else's private musings or escaped capture with seemingly supernatural skill. Her promotions, first to Captain of the Guard, then to Major, for her heroics. All the times her powers were magnified the minute my son approached her. She sees what I already understand: that joining Teela's power with my son's power would end the present crisis with Skeletor, and ensure the future of this planet. Of course, it helps that my son is hopelessly in love with Teela.

Teela smiles and relaxes. "It's not hopeless," she says. "I mean, look at me. But there's still so much that I don't know. I know Duncan is my birth father - don't deny it, I secretly tested his DNA - but who is my mother? Did my magical ability come from her? Why did she leave me? Is she even alive?" Her smile is gone, and sadness spreads across her face.

"I can't answer that, Teela, but I can say that you have always been surrounded by love. Let love show you the way." I hug her, just like I did when she was little. There's a knock at the door. "They're here!" I exclaim, and I open the hallway door to my husband and Teela's father, both in full military dress uniforms. They look like brothers, dashing and handsome.

I can tell that Randor approves of my appearance while his eyes quickly scan me from head to toe. My ginger hair is rolled up into a double twist, and my eyes are lined dramatically in dark brown. Sasha did my foundation so that my complexion would glow flawlessly, but she kept my lip gloss clear so that I can kiss people without making a mess. I designed my gown to look like Marilyn Monroe's famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress, made of flesh-toned fabric speckled with tiny crystals. It's so form-fitting, it looks like I was poured into it, but it has a hidden built-in supportive undergarment to hold my curves in place. Randor is thinking filthy thoughts, and I intend to encourage that all night long.

Meanwhile, Duncan is also speechless upon the sight of his only daughter. I suddenly realize that she is the image of her mother, and it must be hitting him hard. Can Teela read his thoughts?

I break the tension by teasing my husband. "Do you like it, darling?" I ask, spinning around for him. "It's my anniversary gift to you. Or it's the gift wrap, anyway. But don't ruin anything until I say so." I move closer to kiss him, and whisper in his ear, "You can ruin me after the party, over and over again."

For a moment, Randor's dark eyes smolder, and I wonder if he's going to carry me back to our bedroom. Instead he laughs and says, "It's the gift that keeps on giving!"

Duncan rolls his eyes, but politely interjects, "Ladies, shall we? Adam, Adora and Sea Hawk are already busy greeting guests." He offers his arm to his daughter, who is quiet and pensive. And we are on our way to our anniversary ball.


	9. Chapter 9

_Violence erupts in this chapter. Also bad language. Mature audiences only._

"How did you do it, Mother? What on Eternia did you say to her?" asks Adam, waltzing me around the ballroom. His face is lit up with happiness - I haven't seen him like this in years.

"I laid out the facts, darling. She can't deny the facts. Now tell me, why did you cut your hair and keep the beard? I thought I told you to do the opposite!"

"Well, dear Mother, if you must know, the barber was startled by all the noises coming from your side of my bedroom wall around 4:40 this afternoon...he took a chunk of hair off the back by mistake. So I told him to give me a military crew cut and to leave the beard. Don't you like it?"

The truth is, my son has never been more irresistible, and he knows it. His short, fair hair makes his eyes look bigger and brighter, and his beard is growing in strawberry-blond. I decide to pout, "You don't look anything like my little boy anymore. " I slip the Star of Eternia off my finger into his jacket pocket and give it a gentle pat. He beams down at me.

The song is ending, and I nod in Teela's direction. We stop with a flourish right in front of her and Duncan. "Trade partners?" I ask.

Fifty beautiful, unmarried debutantes have been formally introduced to Adam at this ball. All of them are close to his age, looking charming and innocent in shades of pink, white and lavender. But Major Teela is in a separate category: tonight she is the femme fatale. Adam and Teela don't even talk to each other, they just float away, gazing into each other's eyes. Right on schedule.

"It's ill-advised, Marlena," says Duncan. "I know Adam is in earnest, but Teela isn't ready and…"

"It's a gamble," I tell him firmly. "I'm betting everything on those two."

"Everything?"

"Yes. Everything."

"Does Randor know what you're planning?"

Now I'm fired up. Fucking hypocrite. This is the guy who's hiding all kinds of national security issues from Randor, who is both his boss and his best friend. Duncan knows how to press my buttons. "We have the technology in place to make this happen, and the reactor prototype gives us even more of an advantage. All other options lead to a dismal outcome. I've considered and calculated them all. But if my son and your daughter combine powers, we have a fighting chance for victory...and for true love. Are you with me or against me?"

Duncan backtracks. "Of course I'm with you. I'm just saying...the risk is real."

Sometimes the only way to play nice is to stop talking. So we dance in silence - good thing he's an expert dancer. I use the break in conversation to look around at the glittering assembly. Almost all the Masters are here, most of them already paired off with the neglected debutantes. Moss Man is slow-dancing with a young lady who wears a crown of flowers, and Sy-Klone is spinning the teenage daughter of Selkie Island's mayor. Ram-Man has found his match in a short fairy from the east - she's as light on the dance floor as he is heavy, and they somehow seem to balance each other out. Captain Gen and his brother Lieutenant Gax are off by themselves, too anxious to ask anyone to dance. Our diplomatic visitors, Princess Janice of Arktos and Sir Glaceon are swaying in time together, oblivious to the world, and I remember what Teela told me about their plans later tonight. It looks like Adora has become fast friends with Lady Amanda, who is also expecting a baby very soon. A year ago, Amanda was the court flirt, with aspirations to trap my own son in marriage. Happily, she landed Fisto as her husband instead, and he now stands proudly at her side.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Teela and Adam step onto a balcony, and Adam closes the curtain behind them. When the song is over, I tell Duncan, "By the way, you're wrong about Teela. She's ready. Now would you mind getting me a drink? It's terribly warm in here and my feet are starting to hurt."

As Duncan wanders off, I turn and see Gen and Gax right next to me. I smile brightly and ask them, "To which young ladies shall I introduce you?" Without waiting for their response, I get between them, take Gen's left arm and Gax's right arm and guide them straight to a group of four giggling girls.

The girls immediately stop giggling and curtsy to me all in a row. "Captain Gen and Lieutenant Gax, may I introduce you to Ladies Amala, Triz, Nev and Zora? Ladies, these two soldiers are my son's dear friends - they just got off duty and are in desperate need of proper dance instruction. Could you possibly help them - as a personal favor to me?"

I spot my husband about 20 feet away, conversing uncomfortably with Lady Edwina. I'm approximately 85% certain of the content of their discussion, and I decide that a rescue is in order. So I excuse myself from this giddy little group.

But Lady Chione intercepts me with compliments, small talk and a weak joke about how I shouldn't be able to walk after what she heard while she was in my solar. She's already drunk. Then she drops an emotional bomb on me. "I was so delighted to learn that the stories of the great love between the King and Queen of Eternia are all true! But tell me, with so much passion, how is it possible that you have just the one son and daughter? Why no more children?"

My back stiffens at her words. I respond calmly and mirthlessly, "In the Royal Gardens, you will find the graves of six stillborn children. I barely survived the last one. It was Skeletor's work, though he has never confessed. This is why we need you and your husband to sign the treaty."

Chione takes a small step backwards in shock. She stammers, "I'm so sorry, Queen Marlena. I had no idea. Please, please forgive me."

I have the upper hand now, so I play it. "I have two questions for you now, Lady Chione. First, does King Boreas know that your son is planning to elope with his daughter? It's obvious what's going on with them. And why are you trying to sabotage the treaty?"

"How did you - ?" Lady Chione seems a lot more sober all of a sudden.

"This is my home, Chione. It's my job to know. Make sure your husband signs that treaty. Everyone will be happier if he does. And do try to learn how to think before you speak. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with my husband." I sweep away in my most commanding pose.

"There you are, darling," I coo at Randor, wrapping both of my arms around his left biceps.

Randor perks up. "Marlena, my dear, Lady Edwina was just telling me about the generous hospitality she can offer at her country house. Very personalized service."

I keep a straight face. "Oh, to be sure, Lady Edwina, you are _famous_ for your, uh, 'generosity.' You make it seem so _easy_. But you may want to think twice about inviting my husband...he bites." I hold up my wrist as if showing off my bracelet. Lady Edwina gapes.

Duncan appears with my drink, and, analyzing the situation, offers to dance with poor Lady Edwina. Randor starts to walk me toward the balcony where Adam and Teela are ensconced.

"Oh, no, we're not disappearing yet," I tell him.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?" he asks, encircling me with his arms, massaging the bare skin of my back and lightly pecking from my neck up to my ear.

I drain my drink and give the empty glass to a passing server. Up close to Randor's ear I whisper, "We should stay for Orko's magic performance. Also, don't you want to announce your son's engagement tonight?"

Randor stops necking, and looks at me in surprise and wonder. "Really? Tonight?"

"It's happening right now," I tell him, and I nod toward the curtain. "Just give them a few more minutes. Can you possibly think of a way to pass the time?"

My husband presses me closer to him and starts dotting my face with soft, dry kisses. He knows how to keep my make-up in place. My arms are draped across his powerful shoulders. His large hands move down to my hips. Our lips meet. Time stands still.

When we separate, I blurt out, "I have loved you from the first moment I saw you."

Randor flashes his lopsided grin. "That's why I have to keep declining indecent propositions tonight."

"Really?" I laugh. "How many?"

"So far, one man and three women, including you."

"Sir, I have not propositioned you...yet. But it's time to interrupt our son now anyway. I'll go first, you count to 100 and then follow me." I give my husband a wink and slip behind the curtain.

Outside, there is one crescent moon rising and one gibbous moon about to set, casting a pale silvery glow on the shadowy figures in the corner. My son and the major are a tangled knot of writhing limbs. If I didn't know better, I'd assume they were in a life-or-death struggle.

I cough softly to announce my presence. "My darlings, Orko's performance is about to start," I say as casually as possible.

"Mother!" exclaims Adam. They rip themselves apart from each other, and I see his hand come out from under her skirt, while she yanks her right arm (up to the elbow!) out of his pants. The moonlight catches the sparkle of the Star of Eternia on Teela's left hand. My heart leaps. But I look away to allow the couple to compose themselves.

Teela tries to make a break for it, but I block her. "May I see it?" I ask, taking her left hand. The Star is vibrating and humming, yes, humming ever so quietly. It has a faint glow, too. It never hummed or glowed for me. "I'm so happy for you," I say, hugging her and kissing her cheek. "Now I can finally call you my daughter!" I reach out for Adam, too.

Randor pulls back the curtain and joins us on the balcony. I show him the ring on Teela's finger, and he warmly congratulates Adam. He asks, "May I announce it tonight?"

Adam defers. "Uh, I'll let Teela decide. We've moved forward rather quickly, and…"

"Of course, of course, you've declared your intentions, I won't pressure you further. I'm just so glad you have each other." Randor can barely contain his excitement. He awkwardly hugs both Adam and Teela at the same time - just a little too tight.

I interrupt, "Come, let's all go back inside to see Orko." I take Teela's arm and let Randor re-enter the ballroom with Adam. This helps to deflect any speculation about what happened on the balcony.

A crowd is already forming around the stage. The band has stopped playing and the bandleader introduces Orko. Teela pulls me closer and whispers, "I need to talk to you. Something has changed - I can see and hear things."

Her face is serious. I ask, "Is it the ring?"

"That's part of it. More so near Adam. I feel….different." I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

Orko had been practicing his show all week, and the rehearsals that I saw were perfect, but nothing is going right tonight. There was supposed to be a magical fountain of water that formed various patterns and turned to ice and snow in honor of our visitors from the north. But somehow every trick ends with Duncan getting soaked, even though he positioned himself far from the stage. I suspect that Teela is subconsciously interfering again, but of course I can't prove it. The crowd is in stitches.

From outside the open window, I can hear the sound of approaching engines. Teela's hand tightens on mine as she glances to the window and to her father in alarm. Suddenly she shoves me to the floor, shouting, "Down!"

The wall explodes open. A brick flies about six inches above my head and knocks down someone behind me. Four rotons loaded with Skeletor's warriors and robots crash into the crowd. The room is in chaos. Randor is beside me calmly saying, "Molly, find Adora and move her to the safe room." Then he pulls out his ceremonial sword and charges into the fray. The sound of metal on metal rings in my ears.

The room is so so dusty that I can barely see my own hand in front of me. But I can hear Adam's voice above the screams and gunfire. He's repeating over and over, "Evacuate to hangar 7, two levels down on the right." People are pushing and streaming past me toward his voice, toward the exit. I search the perimeter, but I can't find Adora. I'm coughing like crazy.

Randor is back, standing in front of me as two large shapes loom ominously in the dust. The first is revealed as Trap-Jaw, Skeletor's strongest cyborg, who says, "Boss wants these two alive." He takes aim with his weapon, and my husband is engulfed in lightning. Before I can react, a pair of arms reach out, one around my head muffling my mouth, the other across my chest pinning my arms. It's Jitsu, another of Skeletor's minions. Two of our Royal Guards rush in, but Trap-Jaw knocks them out with his weapon, too. I struggle, but quickly realize it's a lost cause. So I pretend to faint before they decide to zap me as well. They start to drag us toward the rotons.

My eyelids are 90% closed. I can see the dust is starting to settle in some parts of the room. Lights are flickering. Most of the guests have escaped, and the fighting is loudest about thirty feet to my left. Suddenly I hear Teela scream, "NO!" There's a bright flash of blue-green light across the room and a popping sound - I see something pink and spiky explode in the dusty air. Jitsu's grip on me loosens for an instant as he stops to look. I seize the opportunity - in one swift movement, I pull out one of my jeweled hairpins and sink it deep into his neck. He reaches up to stop me, but I keep pushing and twisting it deeper until I hit bone. Blood is spraying. There's a deafening metallic crash across the room that seems to draw everyone's attention except mine. With my left hand, I pull out my other hairpin and aim for Jitsu's right eye. I push it in as hard as I can and wiggle it. Then I pull out both weapons, leaving him to bleed out. Jitsu loses his strength and collapses. At my feet I see an unconscious guard. I yank his weapon from his hand and take careful aim at Trap-Jaw, who didn't see his partner fall behind him. His back is to me as he pulls Randor along. I notice a joint in his armor at the base of his neck, where flesh meets metal. I think to myself, It's just like Siegfried's mortal spot in the old legends on Earth.

I set the blaster to maximum power. I hold the trigger down and advance with a steady stream of fire on the vulnerable area. When he finally drops, I realize I've overdone it. His neck is mostly severed. But he's still twitching and trying to talk. So I aim the blaster at his chest and fire again until there's a nice big hole where his vital organs used to be. It's surprisingly easy to do.

I kneel down to check on Randor. Still breathing but not moving at all. His eyes are open and alert. I suspect he's paralyzed. Two more guards run over. "Your Majesty, are you hurt?" they frantically ask me. A reasonable question, since most of my gown is covered in blood.

"I'm not injured," I begin. "You - find a stretcher to transport the king to our suite - and summon a healer for him. And you, I am ordering you to transport the bodies of Skeletor's supporters to the incinerator immediately. Take as many guards as you need to finish the job and report to me when there are no physical remains left. If any body part is intact, Skeletor can re-animate them to attack us again. Understood?"

"Yes, Milady." They both walk away to follow my orders. I realize I forgot to get a status update from them. It sounds like the fighting has ended. I wonder what happened.

I still have the blaster and two bloody hairpins in my hand. I stand guard by Randor. I lean over and kiss his forehead. I reassure him, "Darling, you're not dying tonight. I simply won't allow it."

The guards return quickly with stretchers and extra help, including the new Captain of the Royal Guard. While Randor is being lifted, I ask Captain Gen, "Casualties?"

Gen answers, "About six dead from the initial impact, at least a dozen wounded. There were only four of Skeletor's warriors, all dead. Fifteen robots, all deactivated. Major Teela had some kind of prototype weapon. When the Ice Lord fell, his son Sir Glaceon impaled Stinkor with at least twenty icicles…"

"Where are my son and daughter?"

"I'm here, Mother." Adam embraces me. "Adora and Teela are safe, too."

"Listen, Adam. This was a diversion. Skeletor gave orders for me and your father to be captured alive. But he's probably at Grayskull right now."

"I know. She-Ra is on her way there…"

"WHAT? You can't let your sister - " I realize too late that I'm revealing my daughter's secret identity.

"…and He-Man is going with Duncan and Teela, too. I hate to leave you like this - "

"Go. Your father will make a full recovery. Make us proud - you always do. Protect She-Ra. And if Skeletor or any of his team are killed, cremate them on site. Skeletor is a skilled necromancer. Don't give him a subject for his experiments." I kiss Adam's cheek, and he rises to go.

"Good night, Mother." Adam sprints to join the troops departing for Grayskull.

Randor's stretcher is lifted, and we all move toward the exit. I wave to Captain Gen to come closer. "You know my son's secret?" I ask. I already know his answer. He nods.

"Then send four of your best to cover him."

Gen smiles. "I sent five. And another five to tail Princess Adora, but she's a quick one."

"Thank you, Captain. Please report to me again in an hour with any news." With that, we go our separate ways. That was one hell of a party.


	10. Chapter 10

_Adult content - do not read if you are under 18._

After the healer has left our suite, I get under the covers with Randor, and fall asleep with my hand upon his heartbeat. The events of the evening replay in my dreams, mingled with memories of past encounters with Skeletor, and I startle myself awake before dawn. In the darkness, I sense that Randor is also awake, lying still and studying me. We're facing each other just a few inches apart. I can feel his breath on my face. His left hand reaches over and strokes my hair.

He says, "You saved my life."

I snuggle up to him and kiss his cheeks and forehead, saying each time, "I love you." Randor takes my face in his hands and turns up the passion. The healer had to check his body for injuries last night, so Randor slept nude. My hands roam up and down his back and hips. His fingers run softly through my hair, then shift down my body and up under my nightgown.

"I want to thank you properly, my dear," says my husband. He rolls me onto my back, and I feel his morning woody on my thigh. The perfect gift for every occasion. I'm wide awake and ready to party now. The concentration of testosterone in a man's bloodstream is higher in the morning, which translates to a slight but noticeable increase in an erection's hardness. That's why morning sex is my favorite kind. I love science.

I push him off of me and saddle up on him, throwing my nightgown on the floor. I'm groaning as I guide his erection up inside me. It feels great - the healer cured all my bruises and sore spots last night. I go straight to work, bouncing up and down, faster and faster, with one hand steadying myself and the other hand massaging my clitoris.

Randor is breathing heavily and holding my hips. "Molly, wait," he gasps. I pause and look at him - this isn't like him - once we get started, he always wants to ride off into our happily ever after. Isn't he feeling well? "Did you mean what you said last night, Molly?"

For a second, I'm not sure what he's talking about - was it my accidental slip about our children's secret identities? Or something I said to Lady Edwina? Or did he hear me talking to the healer? Then Randor reaches into the nightstand drawer and pulls out a pair of silk scarves. Now I remember.

He ties one scarf around my head as a blindfold. I lie back on the bed with my arms raised, and he loosely ties my hands to the bed post with the other scarf. After he told me about the order for Skeletor's execution, I said that he could tie me to the bed and spank me. I am a woman of my word.

But he doesn't want to spank me this morning. Randor kisses me slowly in a line from my head down the right side of my body, with special attention to my vulva, all the way down to my toes. Then he flips me onto my belly and kisses up my left side, again with special attention in the middle. Then he bends my knees under me to elevate my hips, and we are joined together again. He penetrates from behind slowly at first so that we can both savor the sensation. Without being able to see, I just listen and feel.

Randor knows exactly what he is doing, and I trust him completely. With expert precision, he builds the pressure and frequency of his thrusts. When I am on the precipice of my climax, he doubles his speed so that we come together. Knowing that his pleasure is so intense only increases my pleasure. It feels like it was always meant to be this way. There's nowhere else in the universe that I'd rather be.

I straighten out my legs, and Randor lies on top of my back, sort of half on me and half on the mattress so that I can still breathe. I like having his weight on me. But he doesn't untie me. His breathing is slowing down. He chooses this moment to say, "Last night, I was paralyzed, not deaf."

Shit. He heard me talking to Captain Gen. I don't say anything.

Randor continues, "You're hiding something, Molly. Please, tell me why."

So this is where I would typically either make a quick escape or seduce him. But I can't get away, because I'm still tied to the bed. And I've already seduced him. Randor knows me well. He played me. My three options are silence, telling a falsehood or telling as much of the truth as possible. The first two options will hurt my husband.

Deep breath. Here I go. "She put a spell on me so that I can't tell you. She said that if you learned the truth, it would lead to your death."

"She?" Randor knows who 'she' is: the Sorceress of Grayskull, whom we have sworn to protect. He asks, "What right does she have to interfere in our marriage? Who else does she command in secret?"

"Darling, the answer is before you, if only you could see it. You are also under a spell. Anger and passion distract you when confronted by the truth. I may say no more." I can feel my throat tightening with these words.

Now he's really outraged. "What right has she to control us? We are not Grayskull's puppets!"

But we are. We are Grayskull's puppets, and I hear this realization in his voice.

Exasperated, Randor says, "My brother was right. I am a fool."

"No, darling," I say. "You are wise and just. That's why I love you. I could not bear to lose you if you learn the truth."

He thinks for a few seconds. "I will go and speak to her myself. She will explain herself to me."

"But she is also a tool of Grayskull, the voice and hands of the castle. She doesn't have a choice, either."

"Then what can we do, Marlena? We can't go on like this."

"Just follow my lead, darling. I have a plan. Only first, please do forgive me for keeping these secrets from you."

I'm still blindfolded on my belly, but Randor tenderly rolls me onto my back. I can feel him leaning down over me. He slides one arm under my neck, and his other hand traces my ribs, hip and outer thigh, and he starts kissing me all over again. I should ask for forgiveness more often.

Suddenly the bedroom door opens, and Rell calls out, "Excuse me, Your Majesties, Man-At-Arms needs to see you right away -" She flips on a light and exclaims, "Oh! Milady!" Of course, I can't see what's happening, but I recognize Rell's voice and can tell that a light is on.

Then the voice of Man-At-Arms is very close to the bed: "Back to business as usual, Randor?" I can feel Rell's fingers frantically untying my hands, while Randor pulls off my blindfold. The first thing I see is Duncan handing me my nightgown.

It's best to be matter-of-fact in situations like this. So I put on my nightgown and ask for a report of last night's battle at Castle Grayskull, while Randor tries to cover himself. Duncan pulls up a chair next to our bed like this is the most normal way to hold an advisory meeting.

Duncan tells us that the fighting was more brutal than ever. Three Masters dead, several maimed, one of Skeletor's warriors dead and incinerated on the spot, one dead and then immediately re-animated by Skeletor, two more missing. Duncan continues, "The battle ended when He-Man cut off Skeletor's left arm. Skeletor teleported back to Snake Mountain as soon as that happened, but he'll be back."

"No robots this time?" I ask.

"Yes, he had part of his robot army, but Teela quickly deactivated it. Did you give her a smaller version of the electromagnetic pulsor? The way she shut it down...it worked the same way we discussed the pulsor working."

"No, Duncan, I don't have any prototypes like that. I will have to talk to her about it." I think about the ballroom last night. The blue-green flare, the spiky pink explosion which I Iater learned was Spikor's skull, fifteen robots falling in one big crash. The humming Star of Eternia on Teela's finger. It's all happening more quickly than I imagined. Something suddenly occurs to me. "Duncan, which warriors went missing?"

Man-At-Arms answers, "Evil-Lyn and Beastman. They were there at the beginning, but they disappeared in the heat of battle. Not even Skeletor knew where they went."

I will have to ask Teela about that, too, but for now I say nothing.

Randor is considering all the facts as well, and he has his own questions. "Duncan, where were my son and daughter during all of this?"

Duncan's eyes dart to mine, then back to Randor, before he responds, "Sire, Prince Adam supervised the evacuation and Princess Adora was in the safe room with Lady Amanda."

Randor isn't buying it. He turns to me and asks, "Then why did Captain Gen have to send five of his best to guard Adam and another five for Adora?"

I literally cannot answer that question. I have lost my voice. Same for Duncan. At that moment Rell discreetly enters the room with a tray of tea and fresh fruit.

Since Randor isn't getting an answer to his previous question, he asks instead, "Where are my son and daughter now? And where is Major Teela? I would like to speak with them."

Duncan says, "I believe they each returned to their chambers for a shower and some rest."

But Rell contradicts, "Oh, no, I saw the Major visiting the Prince's room not twenty minutes ago. I just heard them laughing when I walked past his door."

Everyone but Rell understands what they are doing in Adam's room. Duncan has the look of a murderer. Randor is not succeeding at keeping his composure or figuring out what to do next. But I got this. This fits perfectly into my plan.

I'm already out of bed fetching bathrobes (one each for me, Randor, Adam and Teela) as I ascertain from Rell that no, she hasn't told anybody about Teela being in Adam's room; yes, she would love a promotion to become Teela's personal maid; and yes, she will do exactly what I tell her to do next. So I tell her to get a complete change of clothes for Teela and to meet us in my solar in 5 minutes.

I toss a robe to Randor and say, "Gentlemen, remain calm and do not say anything you will regret. Now, follow me."

The bookcase in the corner of our bedroom is actually a secret door into our son's room - there's a bookcase on Adam's side, too, so I don't think he even knows about it. I reach behind some books to unbolt it as quietly as possible, and swing it open. I go in first, and it's just as I thought: both Adam and Teela have no clothes on, they're on the bed, they're all wet like they just got out of the shower, and Adam's head is between Teela's legs.

Total chaos for two seconds with fathers yelling and a pair of nineteen-year-olds trying to cover themselves with pillows. But I motion for everyone to be silent.

"Good morning, darlings," I say, throwing bathrobes at the young lovers. "I'm so glad I found you. Duncan, Randor and I were just saying that there's no need for a long engagement. How soon would you like to have the wedding?"

Adam and Teela stare at us in disbelief.

"Really, darlings," I persist. "Just name the day." I smile as sweetly as possible.

A familiar lopsided grin crawls across Adam's face. He is his father's son. He responds with a question: "How about today, Mother?"


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you for the encouragement and positive reviews. I plan to complete this story by the end of 2017._

Chapter 11

"Absolutely not!" shouts Randor indignantly. "You will behave like a gentleman, and we will go through with your engagement and marriage properly. I won't have any more of this sneaking around! If you can't keep your clothes on, then I'll have no choice but to..."

The irony is a bit much, even for me. But I won't cut down my husband in front of others.

Teela, on the other hand, has no such qualms. She jumps up and rips into Randor, "Then perhaps you should have set a more virtuous example for us, Your Majesty. Or have you already forgotten how quickly you seduced and married your queen? And you're wrong, Adam is a gentleman: he respects me and he only did what I requested, and, and…" Suddenly she realizes what she just said. Nervously, Teela touches the Star of Eternia on her finger.

Duncan looks like he's going to faint, so I guide him toward an armchair. His face is drained of color and his lips are white. He sinks down on the seat, leans forward like he's trying not to get sick, and covers his face with both hands. He didn't sleep at all last night, and I don't think he slept much the night before that. Stress is getting to him, and these antics aren't helping.

Randor starts, "I - how dare you -"

But Teela pulls herself together and continues, "I hadn't thought of it before, but Adam is right. We should be married as soon as possible. If we schedule a royal wedding in advance, Skeletor's team will surely crash the party like they did last night. He is injured at least for today, so we should take the opportunity while we still have it. Besides, today I can still pass a chastity exam - in case there are any questions about our motives for a quick wedding." She tosses a flirtatious glance back at Adam, who is enjoying the whole scene a little too much, and she adds, "I may not be able to pass the exam tomorrow."

I have never seen Teela like this before. I suppress the urge to laugh. My mind is racing. We have the treaty ceremony followed by a banquet in the early evening, but we could insert the wedding right before the meal. So we already have a meal, musicians and a guest list. The musicians would have to arrive an hour earlier, to accommodate the change in program. We would need flowers, formal gowns and a cake. I can pull a pair of wedding rings and a tiara for Teela out of the royal vault. The men's dress uniforms need to be cleaned after last night. Ugh...the ballroom is destroyed. We'll have to do everything in the throne hall and the formal dining hall. It'll be a bit of a squeeze, but it's doable.

Randor, Teela and Duncan are slinging verbal volleys back and forth. It only takes a second for everything to be arranged in my head. "Yes," I say aloud.

All eyes turn to me. Adam asks, "Mother?"

"Yes, we'll have the wedding today at 5:30 immediately following the treaty ceremony. Randor will officiate in the throne hall, and we'll push the banquet half an hour later, and we'll -"

Randor's face becomes a new shade of red. "What? You're agreeing to this madness after everything that's happened since last night?"

I answer, "Please, darling, apply your powers of logic. You will see that this is the best path."

I take my husband's hand, and I pause while looking into his eyes. As I do so, his features begin to soften. He'll agree to it just for me, even if it's not what he wants. That's true love. I continue, "You and Duncan will take charge of Adam today. Don't let him out of your sight! Cancel your appointments. I imagine you gentlemen will need to confer in private today. Write the marriage contract, order the flowers, get your dress uniforms fixed up and attend the treaty ceremony as planned. Teela will remain with me to prepare."

Duncan blusters, "She's my daughter! She should -"

"No, Father, my place is with the Queen," says Teela calmly. "Let's go, Mom." Part of me thinks I could never have predicted this change in Teela's demeanor, but part of me thinks she was always this way: Regal. She takes my arm, and I guide her toward the bookcase.

"Mom?!" exclaims Duncan, hurt, angry, confused and exhausted. He's already having a shitty day, and it's not even 7am yet.

I look back over my shoulder to see the panic on Adam's face as Duncan and Randor stand over him. He has some explaining to do! I chirp, "See you at breakfast!" And then I shut the door behind us.

Teela snaps sarcastically, "Any more secret passageways I should know about?" She drops my arm.

Ah, teenagers. So I answer pointedly, "Yes, lots of them. I'll show you around after you marry my son. And don't worry, we won't interrupt you and Adam after the ceremony, because we want the palace stuffed full of grandchildren."

Teela gulps and looks down, saying, "I'm sorry, I - I- " I put both of my hands on her shoulders and say, "Never apologize for love. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Teela hugs me, and I can't see if she's crying or just really embarrassed or feeling some other emotion.

I decide to re-direct her. "Come, darling, we have important things to discuss. Rell is now your personal assistant, and she has everything for you in the solar."

Within a few minutes, we're both in daytime dresses, combing our hair together and doing make-up. I've sent Rell to find Sasha, who was supposed to have the day off. Teela admits that she's shaken by the violence caused by her emerging powers - that's why she sought solace in Adam's arms this morning. I get it. Randor and I certainly comforted each other this morning, too.

"Teela, darling," I say, "Your ring was in my possession for twenty years, yet I never realized that it was capable of magic." I take her hand and look at the Star. I can feel it vibrating ever so slightly. "I already know that you used the ring to create an electromagnetic pulse. Now tell me what happened to Beast-Man and Evil-Lyn at the battle." Her aquamarine eyes are filled with anxiety, but there's also a fire. The thrill of battle is alive and well inside her.

She begins slowly, "I - I was in the right flank, and somehow I was separated from the other masters on rocky ground. Evil-Lyn shot an energy blast that grazed my shoulder and knocked me down. As she approached me, I knew, just knew, she was going to make a kill shot. I held up my hand and told her to stop, but she kept coming closer. I don't know how, but a bluish-greenish beam just jumped out of my hand, from the Star. It left a fist-sized hole in Evil-Lyn's chest, and then it hit Beast-Man in the throat - he was standing right behind her."

"It must have been a shock to you, darling," I say while stroking her forearm. But I need to prod her for more information. "There were no witnesses?"

"No, I was sort of hidden by a boulder, and it happened so fast. Evil-Lyn died instantly, and I knew I had to dispose of her body. In my mind I imagined a furnace. I don't know how it happened, it was so weird - I reached out to lift her, and before I even touched her body, it just started disintegrating into ashes. No fire. Just straight to ashes." Teela can't even look at me - the trauma is too fresh.

But I push further, "And her magic staff?"

"Ashes."

"And Beast-Man?"

Teela gulps. "Ashes. He was bleeding out, but still alive. I went over to try to help him - he grabbed my ankle, so I reached down...same thing happened. He watched his arm crumble away, and then his whole body, and finally his head. Gone. I'll never forget the look of horror on his face. Don't tell anyone, Marlena, please. Please, don't tell."

Gently, I say, "I won't, Teela. But you did this world a service. Think of all the people Beast-Man raped or murdered. Think of the animals that he abused. Think of what he was planning to do in the future - you stopped all of that. Thank you." I have one arm across her shoulders, and I use my other hand to tilt her face toward me. She needs a human connection.

Teela doesn't say anything more. But there's still so much I must tell her while we're still alone.

I begin, "Teela, I need to talk to you about your magical ability. I don't understand magic or how you came to have it, but I've observed you for some time. I think you're a lot more powerful than the Sorceress of Grayskull or Skeletor."

"What? How?" Teela is surprised and disturbed by this.

"The Sorceress has never been able to deactivate machines, and Skeletor has never been able to read minds - you can do both and more," I continue. "I think you can do anything that your mind can see, or, with your telepathy, anything that another person's mind can see. All I had to do was tell you about the electromagnetic prototype last night, and you did it. I think you also have the ability to drain magical energy from other creatures or things."

"Why are you telling me this? And how do you know this?" she asks. Good questions.

"Teela, I've seen you disrupt Orko's magic over and over again. Poor guy never stood a chance. I built a device that I call the Pandora's Box - it collects magical energy from any source. You could be a living Pandora. It works at the subatomic level, basically it's an endothermic reaction that - "

"Yes, I - uh - Marlena, why are you telling me - " She is really confused and upset now.

"Because, darling, this is how we erase Skeletor's mark from the planet. First, we go after the sources of his power: Snake Mountain, his henchmen, his havoc staff. Then when he's vulnerable, we can remove his magical abilities. Technically, he's already dead - only his magic keeps him alive. I need your help, Teela."

"You're using me - _as a weapon_?" There's the quick temper that my son adores. Honesty is the only cure.

"Yes and no, Teela. I once taught you how to play chess: the queen's job is always to protect the king. Always. I can't do this without you - you've already done so much. But you are just one part of the team. I am asking out of love. Love for you, for Adam, for Randor, for our people. That is the truth."

I need to drop this now. She has enough information. I get up to put away our hairbrushes and cosmetics.

Teela is pondering everything. "You really think I could?" she asks.

I turn around and say, "I'll prove it. Using only your mind, pick up this hairbrush and put it away."

I hold out the hairbrush and drop it. Teela follows it with her eyes, and it doesn't hit the floor- the hairbrush stops mid-air, then wobbles slowly back up toward the vanity. The drawer opens a crack, stops and then opens too fast. The hairbrush drops inside the drawer and it shuts. Teela looks at me, amazed.

Before she recovers, I quickly say, "There's a bowl of pink and orange flowers next to my bed. Teleport one of the orange blossoms to my hand this instant." I turn my palm upward and wait.

Teela closes her eyes. She whispers, "I see it." Opening her eyes, Teela looks at my outstretched hand, and the orange flower materializes out of thin air.

Smiling, I tuck the flower into Teela's hair and say, "If you can think it, you can do it. Now we're late for breakfast, darling. Let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

_This chapter is rated M for language, but mostly it's about playing around with the characters in a way that's different from the shows or comics._

Chapter 12

The nice thing about being queen is that when I want something, people make it happen.

Almost like magic.

People from all over the palace rush up to me as we walk to the dining room. Some request instructions about cleaning up the ballroom. I tell one maid to forget the mess and go into the city to bring a dressmaker to me. I send another servant to summon the treasurer so that we can pull a few items from the vault. The staff architect hands me a memo about the structural damage to the ballroom. A messenger reports that two-thirds of the guests from last night have already departed from the palace because of Skeletor's party-crashers. I thank the messenger and ask him to bring me a pastry chef for an emergency cake. Captain Gen tells me that tonight's treaty ceremony is looking iffy, since the Ice Lord was killed in action. His son, who received his father's powers, eloped with Princess Janice, whose angry father found them a hour ago. That really fucks things up.

Through the dining room doorway, I see Randor and Adam somberly gazing at their plates. Then they look up at the same time, lighting up with identical facial expressions, tripping over each other to escort me and Teela to the table with their most courtly manners. Both comical and charming. They appear to be unsure whether they're in trouble with us or if they're still in our good graces.

Adam asks his bride-to-be, "Haven't you changed your mind yet?"

Teela feigns indignance, saying, "Well, I'm not the one who's unreliable here." They burst out laughing. Randor doesn't get the joke. He acts like he didn't even hear them.

Kissing my hand, Randor's first words are, "We'll have a double wedding today, my love."

"What?" I ask. "Is the northern treaty back on?"

"Yes, I smoothed things over with King Boreas just now. They agreed on terms for a marriage contract, and I'm sending all the ladies to spend the day preparing with you. We're going to keep up the facade of a single wedding for Princess Janice and Lord Glaceon to avoid unwanted attention for Adam and Teela's nuptials...if you approve."

I smile and say, "You know I do, darling. But tell the ladies not to come until an hour before luncheon, because I have to take Teela to a few appointments first." Just then, the pastry chef appears, and I order the wedding cake. I tell the chef that it's for Janice and Glaceon.

The wedding is easier to plan with a shorter guest list. We discuss the details over breakfast and quickly divide up the duties, which puts Randor in a jovial mood. He's getting his wish: a royal wedding for Adam, and to a woman whom Randor already loves like a daughter. I look around the table. There's so much love here, I didn't even notice that half our family is missing from it. "Where is everyone?" I ask my husband.

His expression becomes serious as he answers, "Duncan wasn't feeling well, so I told him to rest. Adora and Sea Hawk went to bed at daybreak." His tone shifts. "We have to be ready for the next attack. Skeletor is vulnerable. What are our weaknesses? What assets does Skeletor still have?" The questions are directed toward me, but Adam and Teela both perk up. Randor notices.

Out of nowhere, my husband pulls out a pencil and pad of paper, and he starts taking notes. Adam and Teela rattle off a list of improvements to be made to palace defenses, and specific areas in which our troops need further training. They itemize all of Skeletor's surviving allies and known weapons. Adam suggests a strategy of hitting targets around Skeletor first, and then when he is distracted and has no means of retreat, aiming for Skeletor himself. Adam speaks in a relaxed, confident manner. Randor says nothing, but it's obvious that Adam has participated in battles, and has been gathering all types of intelligence for some time. Once or twice, Randor's eyes meet mine, and I can see his understanding grow. It makes me nervous. He's not stupid.

After Adam cleans off his third plate of food, I nod to Teela, and our gentlemen jump up to help us out of our chairs. Teela is startled by the sudden movement, and Adam teases her, "Oh, did I frighten you?"

She quips, "No - you play the coward - remember?" Teela playfully taps the tip of his nose with her index finger. Adam catches her in a half-hug, kisses Teela's cheek and whispers something in her ear that makes them both smile.

Randor watches this interaction, and then gives me a meaningful look. I should be happy that my husband is solving our puzzle of a son, but I feel dread. Part of it is guilt, knowing that I've colluded in a lie, but I also remember what the Sorceress told me - that the truth would lead to Randor's death. My instinct is to get away.

I take Teela's arm, but before we leave the room, I turn to my husband and say, "I want to activate Operation Squirrel at the first opportunity after the wedding."

He nods. "I knew you'd say that. Enjoy your time with the ladies." Randor bows gracefully and kisses my hand.

As we walk away, I can feel Teela probing inside my mind for information about Operation Squirrel, but it's buried under layers of mixed emotions and memories of the early morning sex with Randor. So I walk faster and keep up a steady stream of chatter. In the medical wing, I request a private consultation with two female healers. Teela passes the chastity exam just like she said she would, and I have copies of the certificate sent to Randor and Duncan. Our next stop is the vault in the palace sub-basement.

The royal treasurer Count Kas is waiting for us there. He is polite to a fault, but curious about the urgency of my errand. So I tell him all about Glaceon and Janice's affair, and how we're preparing for their quick wedding, all while selecting various items and having Teela try them on.

Kas knows I'm lying.

Teela wrinkles her nose at the pieces she dislikes, and we finally settle on a pair of wedding bands with tiny embedded diamonds and emeralds, and a small emerald diadem which match the Star that Teela is already wearing. I also pocket a platinum and sapphire set as a wedding gift for Janice. Kas does not ask any questions, and in gratitude for his discretion, I invite him to the ceremony and banquet.

On the way back to my solar, I tell Teela, "All that's left is to make ourselves glamorous. Do you think Adora is awake yet?"

But as I open the door, I see that it's not Adora waiting for us. Duncan is sitting patiently in an armchair. His profile is unique, with a nose that's been broken in at least three places, a chevron moustache and prominent scars above his right eyebrow and down his right cheek to his chin. The rest of him is encased in armor so thick that I have no idea how he can even move, but somehow he wears it casually. He stands up and calmly requests a moment alone with his daughter. I'm already stepping aside to give them privacy, but Teela says, "Don't leave, Mom. Whatever you have to say, Father, you can say it in front of the Queen."

Duncan winces at the word "Mom." But he responds, "Very well, my daughter. I just want to tell you that you don't have to go through with this today. Not today, and not ever, if that's what you want. You haven't done anything wrong. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Just give it some thought, and follow not just your heart, but your brain as well."

Teela steps up to her father, takes his hands and kisses the corner of his moustache. "Thank you, Father," she says. "I have made my choice to be with Adam. We have promised each other an equal partnership, and I trust him."

Duncan exhales. His expression lightens up. "I am very happy to hear you say that," he says. "Now, what terms do you want in the marriage contract? You can have whatever you want."

Teela looks at me, looks back at her father. "I don't care about money. I just want to keep my military rank."

The veteran soldier snorts. "Well, I assumed that. I wouldn't give my consent to the marriage otherwise. And don't worry about money, you'll be wealthier than your husband at the end of the day." He turns and picks up a long box off the floor next to the armchair. "The Sorceress of Grayskull sent this wedding gift for you. I'll leave you now, but I'll return to walk you down the aisle. I'm proud of you, Teela." Duncan's voice cracks, and his eyes are brimming with tears - a rare display of emotion from him. He hugs Teela as warmly as possible in his armor, then shuffles wordlessly out of the room.

Teela is left standing with this big box in her arms. I'm wondering what the hell this gift could be. The Sorceress generally does not bear good news for my family.

Teela places the box on the floor, and kneels to open it. At first all I can see are lots of white feathers. Teela pulls a pile of feathers up and out of the box. It's a dress. A wedding dress made of feathers. Teela strips down and eagerly slips into the beautiful new gown. It fits perfectly; it was made for her. It has a wide v-neck, swirling patterns of tiny feathers all over her bodice, skirt and down the sleeves, with panels draping behind her like a pair of wings, and a nine-foot long train with large feathers similar to the tail of a bird of paradise.

Teela gazes at her reflection in the mirror for a full minute. My future daughter-in-law looks just like the Sorceress. The resemblance is undeniable. _Shit._

Suddenly Teela starts hyperventilating and sobbing. _Shit, shit, shit._ Tears spill down her cheeks as she hastily pulls off the dress and throws it back into the box. I grab a bathrobe and put an arm around the distraught young woman.

"What is it, darling?" I ask, but I can guess the answer. "Tell me, what can I do to make this better?"

"Nothing," she chokes out. "Nothing can make it better. All these years, all these years I wanted to find her, and she was there all along: my mother, my mother. And now I'm becoming a sorceress just like her." Teela is crying uncontrollably now.

And then a magic portal opens right there in my solar. I'm 99% certain that it leads directly inside Castle Grayskull. Teela is being summoned.


	13. Chapter 13

_My weirdest chapter yet. But I hope it's a fun ride for everyone. Rated M for language._

"You don't have to go," I tell Teela. If she goes to Castle Grayskull, I don't know if she'll ever return home.

Teela responds, "I can hear her calling me." Her sobbing slows down to the occasional hiccup.

"You can block her," I say. "You don't have to answer."

"But I need to know." Teela's features harden into the same resolve that she expressed yesterday when she decided to marry my son - she's past her ugly cry. She starts pacing the room angrily. "I'm going," she continues, "And I want you to come with me." Teela stops pacing and looks me in the eye: "What's wrong? It's not like you to be afraid."

I am afraid. In fact, I feel terrified: of losing her, confronting my ex-friend, breaking my son's heart.

But it's not about me. I must put aside my feelings.

Suddenly I realize: I'm no longer bound by this secret. I can tell Teela everything I know. How do I start?

OK, I can do this. I begin, "Teela, I'm allowed to tell you the truth now. Your mother and I were once close friends. I helped her when you were born - Duncan and I were the only witnesses - "

"WHAT?!" Teela seems physically larger in her rage.

"Exactly. I feel the same way about the deception. That's why I no longer consider your mother my friend." I compose myself and start to move toward the portal. "And that's exactly why I'm coming with you." I reach out for Teela's hand.

To my surprise, she accepts my hand. Teela's fury is not directed toward me. At least not completely.

Passing through a portal is a strange feeling. Outside and around it, the atmosphere is normal, but inside, it's zero G. So part of my body feels weightless and part of it feels grounded, and the sensation shifts through me as I pass through to the other side. It's a little unsettling. Back when I trained to work in environments ranging from zero G up to three Gs, the sensation was consistent across my whole body.

Teela is already unbalanced, so the portal seems to make her queasy and even more agitated. Our hands separate. When our feet are standing steadily in the main hall of Castle Grayskull, Teela stops to catch her breath. Then she looks up at the throne, clenches her teeth and storms forward. Blue-green lightning dances between her fingers.

The Sorceress does not greet us. She stands up from her throne serenely, and walks slowly down the steps to our level. As she moves, her feathery costume rustles. She reaches up to remove her falcon headdress, revealing chin-length, flame-red hair. I'm a little jealous, because the Sorceress looks more like Teela's twin sister rather than her mother - I'd sure like a touch of that anti-aging spell myself.

Something is happening between Teela and her mother, though I don't fully understand it. They seem to be communicating telepathically - their faces are animated and there's some type of wind between them. Finally they embrace, and I see tears streaming down the Sorceress' cheeks. I can hear Teela crying softly. Looking over Teela's shoulder, the Sorceress' eyes meet mine, and the words, "Thank you, old friend," hang in my mind like a bare light bulb in the basement.

I don't know what to do with myself, so I just stand and wait. Eventually, the Sorceress tells Teela that it's time to choose her destiny, and points her down a dimly lit stone hallway. Teela nods and walks away a few steps, then turns and asks her mother aloud, "One more thing: did you erase my father's memory?"

The Sorceress suddenly looks a lot less confident. She gazes downward and says, "Yes. Many times. To spare him pain. But the memories always returned." She looks up at her daughter. "Sometimes love is the most powerful magic of all."

The two women share a faint, sad smile. Satisfied, Teela exits the main hall to discover her fate. I panic and start to go after her, but the Sorceress stops me.

"You, too, Marlena," she says, "Must now choose your destiny. The answers you seek await you this way." She gestures grandly toward a hole in the floor, which, upon closer inspection, is an ancient spiral stone staircase going deep into the bowels of Grayskull. I do not like the look of that at all.

"Cut the mysterious bullshit, Teela-Na," I say to her. "Do I get to go home to Randor today or not? Is Teela coming home with me?"

"Grayskull always allows the expression of free will," she answers. "Of course you may go home to your husband today. I think you will want to see what is at the bottom of the stairs."

That was not a complete answer. But my curiosity conquers my better judgment: I guess that's the story of my life right there.

A small orb of light precedes me on the stairs to show the way. The stairs keep going down, down, down, well below where I thought the bedrock started. I can hear a distant waterfall somewhere. Suddenly I realize the Sorceress is no longer behind me. I'm alone.

After a good fifteen minutes, the stairs empty into a large underground chamber. The light orb splits into two, then four, then eight, then sixteen smaller orbs, equidistant. They each grow in size to light up the whole space.

I can't believe my eyes. It can't be real. It can't be.

In the chamber is a half-burned spaceship clearly emblazoned with an American flag and the NASA logo. I touch it to make sure it is real. Walking around it, I see the vessel's partial name "NBOW EXPLORER II." My ship was the first and only - or so I thought - Rainbow Explorer. This one must have come after it. So it's been sitting here for what - nineteen years? Fifteen? A few months, maybe? But it looks a lot older than my ship.

The main hatch is open. I go inside to see what's there.

There are storage cubbies for six crew members. The top cubby is labeled, "Capt. A. Gray, USAF."

I feel like I'm going to faint. I lean against the wall. Adam Gray, known to everyone as Ace. My ex-boyfriend. He came looking for me. But when? And where is he now?

I look around some more. Crew members are permitted to bring aboard a few small, non-flammable personal items. Maybe I can find some clues about what happened here. But there's not much left - there was a fire at some point, and then years of neglect under the castle.

I find my way to the captain's chair and sit in it, trying to imagine what Ace was thinking and feeling. The top right side of the chair is charred, and so is the metal all around it. Ace was surrounded by flames. The windshield is cracked badly. The computers are fried.

There's a hard lump inside the ripped seat cushion, so I reach inside and pull out a ring - a class ring from the Air Force Academy, and before looking, I already know what the inscription inside says: _Ad Astra_. "To the stars," part of a line from Virgil's _Aeneid_ that seemed to fit our circumstances. Ace didn't get classical literature, but he liked to hear me explain it to him. The ring was my gift to Ace when we graduated almost twenty-six years ago. Finding the ring makes me believe that he was alive when he crashed here, and that he hid it in the seat as a message for me.

I exit the ship and shout into the cavern, "Ace? Ace, are you here?" I circle around the ship, looking for any trace of contact.

Lo and behold, on the far side of the ship, I see something by the cavern wall. It's a long parchment, kind of floating vertically about an inch from the wall, magically preserved in a thin layer of clear goop. It looks ancient, really ancient, and as the light orbs approach to illuminate it, I recognize the handwriting on the document: it's Ace's unique chicken scratch. But how can this be older than the documents in the palace vault? Well, I guess I have to decipher Ace's writing to find out. The document reads,

 _"_ _Dear Molly,_

 _The data dump that you relayed back to Earth right before you disappeared was a treasure trove for astrophysicists. CalTech has an annual symposium in your honor where all the latest discoveries and theories are revealed. I thought you'd like to know that. Our understanding of gravity advanced so much because of you that NASA greenlighted another manned mission to the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, so of course I volunteered for it. We launched three years to the day after we lost you, and it only took 29 weeks to travel from the ISS to Europa due to the new technology. I wasn't completely surprised when we picked up a transmission from the Bridge, and discovered it was a video message from you: more beautiful than ever, with your crown, your babies and that same bossy, know-it-all voice - it was unreal. I have no idea how long it took for that message to reach us, but I suspect you sent other messages from the other side that Houston kept quiet. Anyway, we tried to reply to you, but as you know, Einstein-Rosen Bridges are notoriously unstable. We were caught in one of the gravity fluctuations, and we didn't have enough fuel to pull away and return to Earth, so we pushed forward instead. The Bridge collapsed around us, and we limped to Eternia. The angle of entry was wrong, and the reverse thrusters burned out quickly. We lost one crew member during the landing, the rest of us were injured - badly. My burns were severe enough that the locals nicknamed me Grayskull. Our rescuers were shape-shifters who adopted our language, our customs, our form, even our DNA. They saved us, became our family. The reason I know they took on human DNA is that we intermarried and had children. My wife Na'Lani and I have five sons, and we instructed them to maintain Earth's language and customs. Our eldest, the warlord D'Vann Grayskull, built this castle. Molly, all of this was done for you, for love of you. My co-pilot Beth eventually calculated that when the bridge collapsed, we traveled back about three millennia before your arrival. Right place, wrong time. There were no humans here. No cities - just loosely organized clans surviving together. Na'Lani said that she could see you and your children doing great deeds for us, spreading peace and knowledge across the planet. We decided to prepare things for you. You've been wondering how it's possible to meet English-speaking humans in another galaxy. This is how, Molly. Anything for you. I'm an old man now, but my descendants will wait for you. Welcome to Eternia._

 _Yours,_

 _Ace_

 _P.S. You're thinking that this letter is a fake. The full title of your dissertation was 'A Possible Einstein-Rosen Bridge Orbiting the Jovian Satellite Europa: Analysis of the Evidence and a Proposal for Further Exploration,' and you spitefully dedicated it to your older brother and sister, because as teenagers they set such poor examples for you that they scared you straight. Your parents thought it was out of affection - I told you that you should have honored them, since they got you that fancy telescope for your sweet sixteen. You would have dedicated it to me, but we were on a break that spring. I was deployed to the Persian Gulf, and you were dating that loser Krish from the JPL. Later I transferred to NASA to avoid the combat missions and be close to you. And we were very, very close, right up until the night before your launch, when you stayed at my place and complained that my sheets smelled like wet dog and that I had no food except Slim Jims and Dr. Pepper. I finally took you to Denny's at 3am just to shut you up. You ordered a Grand Slam and put way too much ketchup on everything. And black tea, never coffee. Now do you believe it's me?"_

I'm on my hands and knees reading the postscript at the very bottom of the parchment. I think I'm going to be sick. I can't make myself stand up.

Well, the Sorceress was right: that did answer all of my questions.

After a few deep breaths and dry heaves, my brain starts working again. I had to wait twenty years to get this information - what the fuck? Teela-Na kept all this hidden from me while we were friends - and how much of this was Randor clued in on? I was set up!

I jump up, angry. "Ace! Ace, are you still here? Ace?"

A greenish mist forms near the ceiling, and slowly moves down about 15 feet in front of me. The mist carries a faint image of a face, neither male nor female.

The face says, "Our father's spirit departed from here long ago."

"Who are you?" I ask.

"We are the Spirit of Grayskull, the essence of every Guardian and Champion who has ever served this castle. We are merged together as one to dwell here until the castle's mission is complete. Captain Gray was the father of the first Champion nearly three thousand years ago. It was he who instructed us to wait for you."

"Why are you showing all of this to me now?" It takes all of my energy to remain rational. I'm talking to a ghost, after all. Scientists don't talk to ghosts.

"You will determine the fate of this castle, of this planet, in the near future. All but one of our prophecies has been fulfilled. The time has come."

"What prophecies? What if I don't want to do what you ask?"

"The prophecies have been handed down from father to son, from generation to generation. Your arrival, your actions, your children were the focus of our prophecies. We were responsible for creating the bridge to Eternia so that you would see it and come to us. Whether you wish to accept it or not, you have done and are doing and shall do the will of Grayskull."

The gravity of that statement slowly sinks into my head. I say, "You mean...you lured me to Eternia...you used me...and you made me fall in love to keep me here...and you still want more from me."

"We are grateful for your service, o Queen," the disembodied spirit echoes all around me.

 _It's not about me. It's not about me. It's not about me._

Shit. This is all fucking 100% about me.

I only have one thing left to say: "Fuck you." Then I retreat back up the stairs to the main hall.

At first my footsteps are powered by rage and fury. Anger at this conspiracy against me, anger at the Spirit, the sorceress, my husband, everyone here who was in on it. But there are a lot of stairs to climb and I have time to think. My mind is racing.

Since when do I believe everything a ghost tells me? There's no evidence that the Spirit was telling me the truth - what is the motivation there? If anything, the Spirit has reason to manipulate me further to take action to protect the Castle and its secrets. Am I being manipulated right now? Probably. The most plausible explanation is that the Spirit wanted to fuck with my head, get me to make a series of impulsive decisions that would somehow help Grayskull.

Then there's the question, what difference does it make to me anyway? I love my life here. If I could, I would do everything again the same way. Except maybe I'd be kinder to Duncan. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my children. Period. The love that I feel for my family is real. Isn't it?

When I reach the top of the stairs, almost out of breath, I decide that what the Spirit told me is moot. I'm still going ahead with planning my son's wedding today and Operation Squirrel tomorrow. And I'll decide later how much of this steaming load of bullshit I should believe...after I talk to Randor.

Teela is waiting for me with the Sorceress. They seem to be at peace with each other. For a second I wonder if Teela will come back to the palace with me, but she snaps her fingers and a portal appears. She gestures to me and says, "Let's get the hell out of here, Mom."

I nod goodbye to the Sorceress. She approaches me, and she holds out a sealed clamshell.

"What's this?" I ask.

"Beauty cream. You wanted a touch of my anti-aging magic," she answers with a sly grin. "Randor will feel like he's having an affair with a younger woman."

I chuckle to myself. That's not the Sorceress talking. That's my old friend Teela-Na. I miss her.

"Thank you," I say to her. "Will you come to the wedding?"

"Not in human form," she replies sadly, and turns away.

Teela abruptly yanks my free hand and pulls me through the portal with her, back to my solar. I feel like crying or hitting something or running away - or all three. But I'm a mother first.

"Teela, darling, is everything all right?" I ask, gently touching her shoulder.

"I'm fine - you're the one who's not all right, Marlena." Teela says. "Don't believe everything you heard at the castle - the Spirit of Grayskull tends toward melodrama and exaggeration. You're under my protection now."

Now I'm really confused. "What? Whatever do you mean, Teela darling?"

Teela's whole face smiles knowingly, like she's got some juicy tidbit to share. "I decided on my future today, and I also got a glimpse of my past. Apparently I chose my parents before I was born...it explains so much...I'm the warrior goddess of Eternia."

 _Author's note: Special thanks to the commenter who sarcastically asked if I was bringing in the Spirit of Grayskull - it was a great idea._


	14. Chapter 14

_Thank you for your continued encouragement and positive reviews. I tend to post more than one chapter at a time, so if you're confused about gaps in the plot, you probably missed one or two chapters somewhere. This chapter takes place in a bathroom with lots of private activities, including an adult situation, so it's rated M._

I excuse myself to the bathroom as ladies start arriving to prepare for the day's festivities. I need a break.

The first thing I do is drop the Air Force Academy class ring in a drawer with my creams and lotions. During my last eight years on Earth, Ace was the most important person in my life: my best friend, my lover, a thorn in my side but also my cheerleader, both mentor and protege, we pushed each other to our personal best in everything.

And yet I kept turning down his marriage proposals because I knew that he would want me to be an Air Force wife, putting my career second. We broke up many times because of it. Same thing with Krish at the JPL - he was no loser, but rather a rocket scientist with a Ph.D. from M.I.T., and he wanted a wife who would support his career trajectory.

Brushing my teeth, watching myself in the mirror, I know that I made the right choice - pursuing my own dream of unbelievable adventure. With Randor I have a freedom that I wouldn't have otherwise, either single or attached. We make each other strong. Here on Eternia, I'm not second to anyone.

The bathroom door opens and Randor rushes in to use the toilet. He urinates for a long time, as if he hasn't gone all day, and then I realize, he probably hasn't. He's been watching Adam.

I'm wearing just my slip and applying cold cream all over my face when Randor comes to the sink to wash his hands. I want to cleanse and exfoliate before I try the beauty cream that the Sorceress gave me. Randor starts to say something to me and I turn toward him covered with a thick, pale green mask. He bursts out laughing at the sight of my face. I can't help it - I laugh, too. I need a laugh.

"Charming as always, my love," he says, stepping behind me and wrapping his thick, muscular arms around my waist. We both gaze at our reflection in the mirror before us. "I didn't treat you well early this morning. Forgive me."

I know where this is going. "I can easily forgive that, darling, but is it forgiveness you want or make-up sex?"

Randor answers straight-faced, "Both." One of his hands starts to move up toward my chest, the other hand starts to move down toward my pelvis.

"Before we get carried away, darling, I must tell you: Teela and I just returned from Grayskull. I learned something about Eternia's history." His hands stop moving. I wonder if he knows what I'll say next. "King Grayskull's father was from Earth, a NASA astronaut, in fact. He supposedly made prophecies about my coming to Eternia, passed down from father to son through the centuries...did you ever hear about this?" Carefully watching my husband's face in the mirror, I can already see what his answer will be. I pull away, and spin around to face him. My heart sinks.

Randor slowly answers, "I...my father is a self-centered prick, but yes, when I was a boy, he did teach me the Four Prophecies of the Elders."

Anger courses through my veins, and I feel the sudden urge to hit something again. I take a swipe at his face with my right hand, but he catches it while holding my gaze. So I try to strike with my left, and he intercepts that hand, too. I can't shake him off.

"You knew? All this time?" I'm fuming!

Now Randor is heated, too. His voice is low but emotional. "I don't care about prophecies. They're just fairy tales, I told my father. I care about you, Molly. It's always been about you, ever since I pulled you out of that smoking wreckage. Every meaningful thing I have, everything I've done, is because of you. Your brilliance, your inner drive, your passion for life...you make everything possible. Tell me, do you have any regrets?"

"None."

My husband lets go of my hands - I don't want to hit him anymore. With his eyes still locked on mine, he grabs a washcloth from the bathroom counter, and wipes off the cold cream from around my mouth and chin. Instantly I initiate an energetic kiss, sweeping my tongue through his surprised mouth. My hands seek the warmth of his skin under his clothes. I feel my panties fall to the floor, then Randor turns me around to face the mirror again. His hands stroke my breasts, my belly, my hips...and he reaches down with both hands to separate my legs. His hips and genitals are rubbing up against my backside. He says, "What we have is real, Molly. No sorcery. No prophecies. Just us." I feel it in my heart, too.

My husband plays me like a violin. His left hand is stimulating my clitoris while the fingers of his right hand slip inside me, first one, then two, then three, then four fingers. I lean my head back onto his shoulder - he's a brick wall behind me. As I let myself go, I lift one leg up to the countertop to give him full access. My husband is watching in the mirror, and clearly enjoying the activity as much as I am, if not more. The only sounds are our breathing and the wet squishy sound of his fingers. I'm aware that there are several people in our suite on the other side of the bathroom door. I climax as quietly as possible, and relax back into Randor's arms.

I've just put my foot back on the floor, and I'm bracing myself against the counter for the next stage, when Randor pauses to lick every single one of his fingers. He puts on quite a show, and I'm giggling as I watch his reflection. And that's when Adora opens the door - without knocking - and says, "Mother, lunch is here, are you -?" She takes one horrified look at the incriminating scene - Randor's finger is in his mouth, he's got green face cream on his beard and I'm wiggling my bottom against him - and she shuts the door.

Randor and I are in stitches. The tables have been turned - the wayward child has caught her parents!

"Well, darling," I tell him, blinking away tears of mirth, "I believe that's our cue to return to our other duties." I take the washcloth to wipe off the rest of my mask.

"I suppose you're right," Randor sighs. "Is everything settled between us?" He starts washing up - with lots of cold water on his face.

"Yes…" I start, but then I think of something. "By the way, what were the Four Prophecies that your father taught you?"

"Truth be told, I haven't thought of it in years. I haven't talked to anyone about it since my father left...I was eighteen then." Randor is squinting, trying to remember. I wonder if there's a memory spell on him - that would explain why he never told me. "Some of them didn't make sense… one was about justice and long-deserved vengeance on Grayskull's enemy...one was about Grayskull's champion marrying a goddess and healing the planet, whatever that means...but the first one told of a woman emerging from a shooting star and becoming queen - that could only be you - and the second one said that the queen would give birth to a son and daughter, the heirs of Grayskull, warriors with special powers...wait...that's…"

He connects the dots. I can actually see the hex being lifted as awareness dawns across his face. We make eye contact.

Randor continues, "That's why no one would tell me where Adam and Adora were last night, and why Adam...I have to go." He seems relieved, even excited. "I love you, Molly. I have to go speak with Adam now." He kisses my forehead, and reaches for the door. "Thank you, Molly. You led me to the truth." He dashes out to our suite.

I take my time using the toilet and washing up before I pull out the clamshell. If I'm ever going to use it, today is the day. I break the seal and dab some on my face. It doesn't make sense to do my face and leave my neck looking wrinkled, so I apply a thin layer across my whole neck as well. Then I notice that my crow's feet and laugh lines have already vanished. Now that's promising.

I consider the stretch marks on my belly, the age spots on the backs of my hands, the varicose veins on one of my legs, the cellulite on my thighs, my hemorrhoids...oh, what the heck - I'm going to slather that cream everywhere and see what happens. _Carpe diem_.

When I finally emerge from the bathroom, I feel relatively calm and cheerful. There are all types of dresses piled up on my bed, and ladies are rifling through them. The dressmaker shoves a shimmery, iridescent green gown at me, saying simply, "Here." So I pull it on top of my slip and go look for Sasha to lace it up in the back for me.

Lady Chione looks up from a pair of silvery gowns and asks me, "How are you even able to walk after all that?" The ladies around her stifle their giggles.

"Years of practice," I answer, and I glide toward Princess Janice.

Poor Janice can't find a wedding dress that fits quite right, and she's almost in tears from the frustration. But standing beside her, I can see that we're nearly the same size. So I tell her to eat a sandwich while I take care of the dress situation for her. I have to push her toward an armchair and put the sandwich in her hand before she starts to calm down. I sense that she's missing her own mother, who dies years earlier. Then I dive deep into my closet.

Teela follows me.

She whispers, "Mom, I can hear Adam talking to his father. He knows about Adam and He-Man. The troops all noticed last night that He-Man had a haircut and grew a beard like Adam, too. If it isn't a secret anymore, it's only a matter of time before Skeletor knows the truth."

She's right. I nod in understanding. I know what I have to do.

I give Janice some time to eat before I emerge triumphantly with my own wedding dress, which originally belonged to Randor's grandmother. Teela, Adora and even Randor's mother were all larger, so they wouldn't fit into it - only in this family would I be considered petite! But it's just right for Janice.

Embroidered ivory silk with satin trim - it's a medieval style, like something from a Renaissance fair. Fitted bodice with a square neck, long, loose sleeves, a full skirt and long train, it suits her perfectly.

I fasten the dress up the back, and bring out the jewelry that I had put aside for Janice earlier. As I clasp the sapphire necklace around her neck, I speak gently in Janice's ear. "These gifts are a sign of our friendship, which I hope will last for many generations." I kiss her on the cheek.

"Thank you," she answers, "I hope so, too, Your Majesty." Her eyes are brimming with tears.

I open my mouth to tell Janice not to use titles with me, but Teela intervenes.

"Oh, just call her 'Mom.' That's what I do," she says, and everyone laughs. Even Lady Chione.

 _Author's note: Wedding next chapter._


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you, readers, for your gentle encouragement. Here is the wedding chapter - a bit different from other fanfics. It's all Marlena's POV._

I notice a falcon with unusual markings just inside a high window of the throne hall - that window is not supposed to be open or even openable. I've seen that same falcon around the palace many times through the years, never 100% sure what it was. But today I feel certain that the falcon is Teela's mother. She's watching and waiting for the wedding.

Randor and I had been so anxious about getting the treaty signed with the northern lands, but that turns out to be easy. After last night's battle, all parties understand the importance of the document, and they sign off on the terms without complaint.

It's deeply moving to witness lifelong enemies shake hands and exchange promises of friendship. Lord Glaceon lost his father in battle last night, and instead of returning home with his mother and sister, he chose to honor his father's memory by finalizing the treaty - and his marriage to King Boreas' daughter. As young as he is, Lord Glaceon has already won our respect.

Everyone applauds at the end of the treaty ceremony, and everyone seems to know that a wedding is next. There are probably about 75 people in the hall, mostly nobility and military officers with their families. Many of them are the debutantes from last night's ball. Only a few of the Masters are here - Stratos, Buzz-Off and Fisto with their spouses - the others are all taking the evening off. Not exactly intimate, but not huge, either. The mood is friendly and cheerful.

Randor is doing his best to maintain a calm expression, but I can tell he's ready to burst with joy. He stands up and announces, "Now it is our pleasure to witness further promises of good faith and friendship between our peoples. Princess Janice and Lord Glaceon have asked me to officiate at their wedding here this evening, and, at the same time, our son Prince Adam will be joined in marriage to his beloved, Major Teela of the Royal Guard, Countess of Aragon, daughter of General Duncan."

An audible gasp sweeps across the assembly - a double wedding! But I'm surprised, too. Countess of what? Since when? Then I remember Duncan's comment earlier in the day about Teela becoming wealthier than her husband. Duncan's uncle is the Count of Aragon, who tragically lost his wife and sons years ago. I'll bet he signed over his estate to his grand-niece as soon as he heard about her engagement. That would make her one of the wealthiest heiresses on the planet. Combine that with the property she'll acquire through marriage, and her personal wealth now rivals Randor's.

Randor continues, "It is our hope that the two couples will celebrate this happy and sacred day together for many years to come." He steps forward, and soft music arises from a corner of the hall, slowly increasing in volume. Adam, in his formal dress uniform with his faithful tiger beside him, joins Randor on his left, while Lord Glaceon stands on his right, resplendent in the traditional ice-blue robes of the North. Adora and Sea Hawk stand up as witnesses. The doors to the hall are opened - King Boreas exits, and then reappears a moment later with his daughter on his arm. Teela and Duncan are paired right next to them. I'm overcome with emotion - I try to hold onto my placid smile, but I fail. I'm grinning and crying at the same time.

The two brides are lovely, but completely different in appearance. Janice is a river of ivory silk, her fair hair worn up in a complicated braided up-do, her antique veil trailing behind her. She's looking at the people and everything around her in awe - like a tourist walking through a movie set. Her sparkling face seems to match the sapphires that I gave her. Teela strides in confidently like a soldier to battle, her eyes fixed on Adam, and wearing a faint, mysterious smile. She's wearing the dress from her mother, and her long, loose, flaming hair has little white feathers woven throughout - no veil for her. Diagonally across her chest she wears a royal green sash decorated with all her military medals and awards. I forced her to wear a bunch of jewelry, too, but she wears those pieces like an afterthought.

Each groom takes the arm of his bride, and they stand before Randor. Just before Randor starts to speak, Teela sticks out her right arm horizontally, almost punching Adora, the matron of honor. The falcon swoops down from the window ledge and lands on her wrist. Teela maintains a steady gaze forward while it happens - like she planned it that way. There's another collective gasp among the people - even Randor is taken aback at first. But then he blinks his eyes, and gets on with the ceremony.

Now I sense that the mood of the audience isn't entirely happy. Angry glances are passing swiftly among some of the nobles. There are several families of young ladies who had hoped for the chance to be in Teela's place. A title for Teela so soon after her military promotion, and a quick wedding immediately after last night's attack won't sit well with everyone - I can understand their point of view. While the wedding vows are being exchanged, my mind races to calculate how to assuage their hurt feelings. I'll have to dance and flirt with a lot of men tonight. I examine the faces before me, and think of something to say to each person, both charming and disarming. I glance over and nod at Adora - she's thinking the same thing. It's always prudent to avoid a civil war with the aristocracy.

Then my thoughts come back to the wedding itself. The falcon walks up Teela's arm and sits on her shoulder during the ring exchange. Randor and I had always wanted a large family together, and now we finally have one. I love Teela and Sea Hawk as a daughter and son, and now I'm sort of adopting Janice and Glaceon, too. It's so wonderful that I find myself blinking back tears again.

Randor concludes, "And we now pronounce you -"

Just then, Count Anjou stands up. "Pardon me, Your Majesty," he begins firmly. "But you did not ask if there were any objections, and I am not sure if your son's marriage will be legal."

Here it comes. This is where I sit demurely, and let Randor handle everything.

"Whatever do you mean, Count Anjou?" My husband's voice is icy.

"Well, Your Majesty, I hardly know where to begin...why the rush? Were you afraid of the possibility of Major Teela's integrity being questioned?" The Count asks pointedly - looking straight at me. I've never been fully accepted among some of the older families of the Eternian nobility, because of the hasty circumstances of my marriage.

Randor answers, "As a matter of fact, the Major's honor is unblemished." He reaches out a hand, and an assistant delivers a document to him. "Here is the certificate of chastity signed by two healers and witnessed by the Queen this morning." He offers the document to Count Anjou, who steps forward to accept it.

"Very good,Your Majesty, but you did not answer my original question," continues the Count. "Why the rush? There are...other...questions about the Major's personal history. The tradition has always been for the crown prince to choose a wife from the nobility...we temporarily suspended that tradition when you took a wife," glaring at me contemptuously, "but we never intended for that tradition to end. How is it that the Major, whose biological parents are unknown, has become titled without the approval of your cabinet?"

There are about two seconds of total silence as Randor decides how to respond. He takes a breath, and - Duncan walks right up to the Count with one hand outstretched. At first I think a brawl is about to break out, but there are papers in that hand.

Duncan says the last thing I ever thought I'd hear him admit in the throne hall. "Count Anjou, thank you for your concern for my daughter," he begins in his most formal tone. "First, you will find here proof of my marriage to the Major's mother. Second, my daughter's birth certificate dated more than one year later, so there can be no doubt of her legitimacy. Third, a receipt for the transfer of my uncle's estate to my daughter, dated this morning. I trust you will not say the name of my wife aloud here in the presence of the court, since she is still a covert operative, employed by the Crown these many years."

That last bit is a fib. The Sorceress is not employed by anyone. He said that to shield her identity.

At last, Count Anjou is speechless. I feel sorry for him. He looks at the papers, and hands them back to Duncan.

"Anjou, darling," I tell him with a sympathetic smile, "You may sit down."

Randor wisely chooses to act like nothing happened, and the ceremony picks right up where it left off. Upon the final blessing, Adam and Teela kiss softly with an unspoken understanding. But Janice throws away decorum with a passionate liplock on her new husband. It's been one of those days.

The wedding ceremony ends even while my thoughts and emotions are still churning. I take Randor's arm, and we follow the bridal procession toward the reception in the dining hall. I find that my steps are wobbly.

I crank up my charisma to 110% for the receiving line. Lots of smiling and kissing - as if my life depends on it. I give my biggest hug and kiss to the Count and Countess Anjou and their daughters. Most people express a combination of shock and delight over the nuptials...but there's also a thinly veiled anger running through the crowd. A few times, Lord Glaceon catches my eye with a slightly apprehensive look. Teela still has the falcon on her shoulder, and when people ask about it, she just says it's an old friend named Zoar.

We seat everyone, and serve up the formal dinner right away. The liquor flows freely, and the gathering becomes noisy. Orko is going from table to table with his tricks, to keep the mood light. I instruct a servant to keep my wine glass full of fruit juice that's the same color as the wine - I often do that for state dinners. I also order a plate of bones and fish to be delivered under the table for Cringer. Adam, already bootless, is using his tiger as a footrest.

Sea Hawk stands up for the first toast: an elegant, short speech about brotherhood. Then each of the fathers takes a turn, and each one of them is overcome with emotion while speaking about what the wedding means to our families. I feel like we're running out of time. So I smile and keep quiet.

Lady Chione gets up and raises her glass for a final toast. She says, "I thank you all for sharing our joy on this gracious day. My visit to Eternos has been marked by many lessons on the nature of love. You see, my husband had few allies at home or abroad, and you may say what you will about him, but he died to protect us all from harm. His sacrifice was born from love, a sacrifice we must always remember. The life of this palace, and indeed, this city, is centered around a different love, the love between your king and queen, now twenty years strong. It is my hope that our newlyweds may follow in their example, and allow their love to nurture their many gifts. Of course, the reason we are here is new love, the love between our Crown Prince Adam and the great warrior Teela, between my son the Ice Lord and Princess Janice, the tamer of dragons, the friend of the frost-giants, the guardian of the mountain trolls. Janice, it is because of you that we journeyed here, and it is because of you that we now drink to love."

Everyone exclaims, "To love!" And everyone drains their glasses. Privately, I note to myself that Chione and her husband never cared about the treaty terms - the marriage alliance was their only goal all along. That makes sense now.

Randor turns to me with a cheerful expression as if he's about to say something amusing, and says in a low voice, "We have several problems here."

I react as if he made a terrific joke, but I respond quietly under my smile, "Yes, darling. One: these nobles are ready to revolt. Two: Skeletor will be ready to attack within a few hours. Three: Adam's secret is out. Four: Teela cannot control her full power yet."

Randor leans in toward me with a sultry look. He whispers, "Five: Don't forget the dark sorcerers waiting in the wings for a disruption in the balance of power. Landros, Malek, Count Marzo…" He kisses my cheek.

Aloud, I say, "We have our work cut out for us, darling! Shall we start the music and dancing?"

Adam and Teela, who had been laughing and feeding bits of meat and vegetables to the falcon, arise at these words and lead the way with Glaceon and Janice. The falcon stays behind, perched on the back of Teela's chair, watching everything attentively. The newlyweds have the first dance, then the immediate families join them for the second song. To my surprise, King Boreas escorts Lady Chione, his former enemy. Duncan dances with Glaceon's younger sister Snowflake, reminding me very much of how he used to play with Teela when she was younger.

While the room whirls around us, Randor whispers, "I'm ready to hand over the kingdom to Adam and run away with you…" He's really serious. I think Count Anjou must have been the last straw.

"And then what, darling?"

"Travel...help people...secret missions...like He-Man…" Randor wants to switch places with our son, the result of spending a day re-establishing their relationship. I guess it's understandable.

I ponder the possibilities. The music ends dramatically, and Randor dips me, bending over so that our faces almost touch. I smile winningly. "Tell you what, lover: let's try one mission first, and go from there." He smiles back at me, eyes twinkling.

We all switch partners, and more guests join the dancing. So I find myself paired with Count Anjou. He bows, and I give a small curtsy according to Eternian tradition. I know he's got something on his mind, so I break the ice by asking, "Are your daughters enjoying themselves?"

Wrong question. The Count scowls slightly, "They are disappointed, Your Majesty. They had hoped to spend more time getting to know your son and the rest of the court…" In other words, he wanted to find high-ranking husbands for them.

"Perhaps they would be interested in diplomatic positions. We will need an ambassador in the Northern Lands," I suggest helpfully.

But he ignores that comment. "Who is she?" Count Anjou demands in a whisper. He means Teela's mother, of course.

I look him right in the eye and say flatly, "You haven't met her."

"But you have?" he retorts.

I decide to get straight to the heart of the matter. "You know, darling, you and your colleagues didn't voice any objections when I married the king…but tonight..."

Anjou hisses, "Because we didn't expect you to last long - given Randor's history - " He's referring to the fact that every woman Randor had ever loved, two fiancees, his sister Mira, his mother Adora who died giving birth to her stillborn daughter, all died years before I arrived. There wasn't a single princess on Eternia willing to take the risk of marrying him.

"So charming, darling," I drip with sarcasm, "I can see why my husband places so much trust in you."

"Randor would have been better off if he had trusted me, but now…"

"And now, " I continue his train of thought, "You're angry that you've lost your chance to control both my husband and my son - you think Adam's weak - so you came to warn me - what? That you'll replace him? With whom?"

Smugly, Count Anjou stops dancing and says, very seriously, "He-Man. We'll put He-Man on the throne."

I try to suppress my laughter, but I end up snorting, which makes me laugh more. This guy is the one of the few not in on Adam's secret.

I catch my breath enough to say, "Good luck with that." The Count looks confused by my reaction.

A voice at my elbow says, "May I cut in, Your Majesty?" Count Anjou just turns around and walks away disrespectfully. So I give my full attention to the gentleman beside me, who is revealed to be Kas, our royal treasurer.

"Ah, Kas, darling, perfect timing to rescue a damsel in distress!" We waltz away.

"You hardly look distressed, milady," says Kas, "In fact, I would say you're the cause of great distress to all the other ladies here." His eyes are merry.

I play along, "How so?"

"By growing more youthful instead of older, more fascinating instead of duller...the others simply cannot compete."

I just went from being reviled to being flattered in less than a minute. I guess that's the life of a queen. "Oh, Kas, this isn't a competition -"

"Isn't it, milady? In fact, there is one lady here for whom I would like to compete - I wonder if you could help me - "

"Yes, yes, tell me who it is, Kas!" I love playing matchmaker at court. Such a fun sport.

"Don't laugh, milady. It's Lady Edwina."

"Kas! You know her reputation - "

"Yes. Will you introduce me?" He's embarrassed now.

I nod and scan the onlookers. "There she is - let's do this."

I formally present Kas to the surprised Lady Edwina, and they seem to hit it off - which leaves me as the third wheel, until -

"There you are, Mother," Adam chimes in, "I haven't had a single dance with you this evening - Kas, I really must tear her away from your mesmerizing discourse on tax code revisions..." And so I spin away in the arms of my son. Studying his features, I wonder if I can see traces of his ancestor, my Ace. I think of the Spirit's words: you have done and are doing and shall do the will of Grayskull. Are my son and Teela also condemned to do the same?

Adam interrupts my thoughts. "And to think it's been less than 36 hours since you summoned me for a bedside chat," he muses with his lopsided grin. "You certainly know how to get results, Mother."

"That's why I'm the queen, darling."

Adam snickers. "Mother, I don't see any hairpins...where are your weapons tonight?"

"Well, darling, you're my finest weapon. But I've also got two small knives tucked away safely, just in case. I don't take any chances, you know."

"Yes, in fact, I do know." He raises his eyebrows at me.

"Adam, darling, your father and I are going away for a few days. We're going to leave the government in your hands for a bit…"

"Do I even want to know what this is about, Mother?"

"Probably not, darling...just focus on your wife for now. Enjoy her company."

Adam huffs and rolls his eyes. "Did you know that Father and Duncan gave me the talk today? They made it as embarrassing as possible: examples from personal experience, diagrams…"

"Well, we do need the DNA evidence on the sheets tonight for legal reasons…"

"Yes, yes, Mother, I'm sure they weren't having any fun at my expense." We look at each other and laugh.

The song ends and we exit the dance floor. "Adam, I'm glad that you're close to your father again," I tell him, smiling, stroking his cheek. He takes my hand and kisses it.

Teela comes rushing up to us with an dire look - part of me wonders if there's an imminent coup d'etat, but then she says, "Mom, help me, I don't know how to use the bathroom in this dress!"

So I guide Teela, with Zoar on her shoulder, toward the most comfortable bathroom, halfway between the throne hall and the dining hall. It has a ladies' sitting room and spacious, private stalls - but the door is locked. I knock urgently and announce that the queen needs to get inside. There's some fumbling at the door, and when it opens, Janice steps out in her now-rumpled dress. Glaceon is adjusting his belt and tunic right behind her.

Amused, I say to her, "I suppose you may add 'Tamer of the Ice Lord' to your list of titles now."

Janice shrugs and takes her husband's hand. "Now my father can't annul the marriage - it's been legalized." They bounce back to the party hand-in-hand.

Inside the bathroom, Zoar hops off to the counter while I start to remove the fluffy, feathery gown from Teela. A second later, Teela-Na is beside me, carefully helping to lift the dress without disturbing Teela's hair or make-up. Teela dashes to the bathroom stall in her slip, and there's a knock at the door.

I take a step toward the door, but Duncan opens it a crack, saying, "Teela, are you - ?" He looks at me holding the dress, then sees Teela-Na behind me. He comes in and quickly shuts the door. Ignoring me completely, Duncan approaches Teela-Na, and just touches his forehead to hers. She immediately raises her hands to his head, and he disappears behind the curtain of her feathery wings. As I turn my head away to give them some semblance of privacy, I hear him whisper to her, "Don't leave."

My heart aches for Duncan when I consider what he has suffered in his marriage to the Sorceress, raising their daughter essentially alone. I wonder if they'll ever be able to live together as husband and wife - and what that would mean for Teela and my son. Is Adam going to be separated from his lover in the same way that Duncan has been? How can I prevent that?

There's a rustle of feathers. Duncan says, "We're returning to the party. Will you be all right with Teela?" I realize that he's talking to me - and when I face him, I see that he's holding Zoar on his arm.

"Yes, Duncan, we'll be fine," I tell him. And then, resolving to be kinder to him, I add warmly, "Enjoy the reception." He nods and leaves.

Within a minute, Teela exits the stall, saying, "Much better...where did they go?"

"Back in the dining hall, darling." I slide the gown back over Teela's head and shoulders, tenderly guiding it over her hair. "Teela, I was wondering...how much can you see?"

I smooth out the dress over Teela's back, arms and hips. Teela glances over her shoulder at me, one eyebrow arched. "Enough to know what you're planning. You want me to tell you if you'll live to see your grandchildren." A statement, not a question. "Yes," she continues, "lots of grandchildren, but the future is always shifting, so nothing is predetermined. I chose the future that would give me the longest period of time with Adam. I just see snippets here and there - battles and explosions, a son born about a year from now, building a new city, Adam telling me that he won't rest until he has at least a dozen daughters with fiery personalities and red hair to match...I see you with us...but all of it could vanish in a flash...does that answer your question?"

Breathlessly, I say, "Yes." My hopes and dreams are in that answer.

Back in the dining hall, there's laughter and singing. Randor pulls me into his lap, and I join in the traditional songs, while the young people continue to dance. Zoar is still on Duncan's arm - she cocks her head and looks sharply at me. Although Zoar does not speak, her voice is loud and clear inside my head, "It is time. Now."

Duncan gently strokes Zoar's feathers one last time, and she flies away up to the window where she entered the hall. On the dance floor, my son and his bride stop and watch her. Teela and Adam gaze into each other's eyes, and they kiss as if saying farewell.

Teela breaks away, looks up at the high window, and raises her arms. In front of everyone, she transforms into a falcon, white with green and reddish-orange markings. She follows her mother up and out of the palace: a runaway bride.

Shocked silence reigns in the hall.

In the center of it all, Adam speaks up. "I have been informed that Skeletor is on the move, laying waste to our towns and countryside, and his attack on Castle Grayskull is imminent. My wife has departed to prepare the castle's defense. We must fight as we have never fought before. I will lead the charge."

A handful of people laugh and heckle him. "You? The clown prince?" "Poser." "He'll last less than a minute before he turns tail!" "The fool can't even hold onto his own wife." "He's had too much to drink again."

But Adam has an answer to the mockery. He pulls out his sword from its invisible sheath on his back, and raises it up, pointing it at the ceiling. A wave of awe cascades through the crowd.

Adam shouts, "By the power of Grayskull...I have the power!"

Consumed by lightning, my son seems to grow bigger. Under the table, his tiger Cringer is also magnified in light and electricity. When I regain my sight, He-Man and Battle Cat have replaced Adam and Cringer. Even though I knew and understood that my son had this power, it's another thing altogether to witness it firsthand.

Across the table, I hear Lady Chione whisper, "I knew it!" But she, too, wears an expression of absolute astonishment.

He-Man glances around at the stunned onlookers with a lopsided grin. "Now, who's with me?" he asks.


	16. Chapter 16

_Operation Squirrel begins. Trigger warning: this chapter contains a reference to evidence of sexual violence. Rated M. Also, if you feel like there's a chunk missing from the story, you may have skipped a chapter. I tend to post more than one chapter at a time._

The guards stationed around the perimeter of the room immediately start cheering. Randor and I leap to our feet, also applauding the hero, our son. The wedding guests give a raucous standing ovation to our son, now publicly revealed as He-Man, champion of Eternia.

He-Man approaches me and Randor as if seeking a blessing before he goes to battle. He bows his head, and I touch his fine hair. But he speaks first. "Go," he says to us, "do it. I got this. Good journey." In unison, Randor and I softly answer, "Good journey."

Well, I don't need to be told twice. I make a quick exit, gesturing to two guards to act as my escort - Gecko and Yankee from my Operation Squirrel team. I don't even bother saying goodbye to our guests. I pull my communicator out of my sleeve and announce, "Operation Squirrel is activated. Rendezvous in 45 minutes. Repeat, Operation Squirrel rendezvous at 2100 hours." I start removing my jewelry while walking briskly. Then I loosen up my hair.

Sasha intercepts me outside my suite, and I hand everything to her, saying, "Randor and I need our combat fatigues, but first get me out of this dress."

In my solar, Sasha unlaces my dress while I give orders to Gecko to make sure the vehicles are ready for immediate departure. I keep Yankee stationed at my door. Stripped down to my slip, I quickly remove my make-up. Looking in the mirror, I realize that my age spots are gone. Crepe-like texture on my neck, chest and arms - gone. Varicose veins - gone. The magic anti-aging cream did its work. I look thirty years younger than I did this morning. I look like a teenager.

Hmmm...I'm going to disguise myself as a new recruit...a teenage boy.

I pull out Randor's shaving kit and attack my hair with motorized clippers. Big chunks of ginger hair fall around the bathroom sink. It's uneven, but I don't care. I just want it super short. My head feels lighter. I go back over my head a second time to trim the tags and a few remaining long strands, then I wipe down my head and shoulders with a damp washcloth.

I still don't look anything like a teenage boy. So I rifle through the bathroom drawers and find some bandage wraps. I bind my breasts to make myself look more flat-chested. Then I get a black eyeliner pencil and make thick smudges just above my cheekbones, like a football player. Now I'm getting somewhere.

Sasha comes in with my fatigues, and she cries out, covering her mouth. "Milady...your hair!" she exclaims mournfully. I shrug my shoulders in a half-hearted apology.

Randor rushes in while I'm dressing. His large hands go straight to my head, caressing the quarter-inch fuzz. "Me, too," he says.

Randor trims his long hair while I ravage his beard with the clippers. Within a few minutes, he's got a neat crew cut and he's clean-shaven for the first time in sixteen years. My heart is swept back to the day I first saw him: I thought his was the most beautiful face I'd ever seen...or would see. But now years of responsibility and distress are carved into that face. With the fingers of my right hand, I trace the lines of worry across his forehead, around his eyes, down his cheeks, around his lips. Our eyes meet in mutual love and memory.

"It ought to be an act of treason to hide that perfect cleft chin of yours," I tease him.

He answers, "It ought to be an act of treason to flatten that perfect bosom." I look down and realize that my shirt was only one-third buttoned.

With half a smile, he takes the clippers from me, saying, "One more thing." He shaves his thick eyebrows down to a quarter-inch stubble. So strange, but it alters his appearance very much.

Before we leave our suite, I give instructions to Sasha. "Keep this communicator with you at all times, but only use it in an absolute emergency," I say, handing her the tiny device. "If the palace walls are breached, pack as much of the royal jewelry into a backpack as you can carry comfortably - and go to the cave. You remember how to get there, right? It's fully stocked, and you'll be safe there. Dal will take care of the most important documents at another location. Take one guard with you, disguise yourself, and be careful. No, don't wait for my return."

Sasha says, "Yes, Milady. Good journey, Milady." She's visibly shaken.

Once I put on a combat helmet, I no longer look like a queen. I walk purposefully beside Yankee to complete my disguise as an anonymous soldier. Randor looks like an ordinary soldier, too, but because of his size, he gets some double-takes in the halls of the palace. Finally we arrive at Hangar 15, almost forty minutes after I ditched the wedding reception.

I immediately start barking out orders and asking for status reports. Startled, a few team members glance at me, then at Randor, then back at me, before they realize who I am. Then they jump to attention.

"At ease, team. All personal belongings and identification in the lockers now," I say pointing to the storage area. I start pacing back and forth in front of the line of my soldiers. "Everyone remember their code names? We won't be using ranks or real names from here out. Who's the best pilot here? Gecko, I should have known - you take the Wind Raider. Two per Sky Sled, one pilot and one weapons specialist. I'll fly one of them with Tony on weapons. Three more Sky Sleds need a pilot - Oscar, Zulu, Mike - thank you. Everyone else, choose your ride and make sure backpacks are stowed away. We fly in formation around the Wind Raider, about three hours each way. Destination is the dead forest due west of Snake Mountain. We'll hide vehicles there, prepare foxholes, and begin our assault. We set up the Pandora's Boxes to absorb the mountain's energy, and go inside. Moose, you will clear the dungeons of any surviving prisoners and bring them back to the Wind Raider. Victor and Mike, most of the fuel tanks are on the ground level - you will target those and then rendezvous directly below the snake's mouth, and wait for us to rappel down to you. The rest of us will go up the stairs, one person targeting each level. Tony and I will go straight to Skeletor's apartment at the top, and meet you at the snake's mouth. Tony will set up and oversee our escape. Understood? Questions?"

There are some nods. My husband firmly adds, "You are hereby ordered to complete the mission. If something goes wrong, you must return to the vehicles and detonate any charges that were placed on targets."

"Sir, yes, sir!" is the unanimous answer.

I open the gate of the hangar - it's only wide enough for one Wind Raider. I board my Sky Sled, my husband right behind me with his arms around my waist, and take off. I lead the way because of the perilously narrow canyon just outside the hangar. Weaving through the labyrinth and exiting into the night sky, I feel a sense of exhilaration, and I know that Randor feels it, too. This is exactly the type of adventure he was longing for.

We head east toward the Mystic Wall that separates human habitation from the Dark Hemisphere where Snake Mountain is located. Castle Grayskull is southwest of the palace, so we don't overlap at all with my son's military advance. The land seems so peaceful here in the moonlight - it's hard to imagine the threats against it - but I know the threats are real.

Periodically, Randor names the town that we are passing near so that we all know where we are. "Keokuk, 15 minutes to the east-southeast." "You can see the lights of Astara there to the northwest." When things are quiet, his hands occasionally move down to my hips and thighs, a reminder of our intimacy. He rubs and massages vigorously to generate warmth. I guess this is my husband's idea of a date.

We don't hear or see any other traffic at this hour out in the countryside. One time I thought I saw a plume of smoke on the horizon, but no other movement. Then, about two hours into the flight, Randor says, "The town of Yurko is just over that ridge - let's stop for a fifteen minute water break, and stretch our legs."

I nod, and the other pilots signal their agreement, too. We turn and head for the ridge. That's when I notice the burning smell.

Sure enough, Yurko is no longer a town. In its place are a bunch of large craters and charred rubble. The fires mostly seem to have died down already, so this happened hours ago.

We land our vehicles to investigate. "Weapons at maximum power. First priority is to find survivors, second priority to locate any unexploded charges so we can see what we're up against," I order. "Fan out in pairs."

But I already have an idea of what type of weapon was used here. Duncan and I have been testing our coridite reactor for months - coridite is the most efficient energy source on Eternia, and most of it is mined in the Dark Hemisphere. I've seen the damage created by blasts from our prototype reactor: it blasts giants holes and starts fires. Apparently we've been having an arms race with Skeletor all this time. Skeletor won.

So our team spreads out in different directions across the remnants of the little town. I stay with my husband, who says, "Barracks - over this way." We have a minor military outpost here, which is probably why the town was targeted. The roads are all blocked by debris, so it takes some time to climb over everything and make a new trail.

There are no barracks anymore. Just another crater and some smoking ruins. No survivors, either. Not even any bodies here. What the hell happened? Randor and I do a quick search of the area before going back into town by another route.

That's when my communicator crackles, "Zulu to Cleo. We found the residents. Town hall, main square. Please advise."

Quickly I answer, "On my way."

Through the darkness, we scramble across the ruins, not sure what we'll find: hoping for the best, but bracing for the worst.

It's the worst. The absolute worst. I can tell as we approach, because the team is just standing outside a large, collapsed structure, unsure what to do. They're not making any movements to help anyone.

I simply say, "Report."

Stepping forward, Victor says, "Looks like all civilian and military personnel were herded to the town hall, and locked inside. It was firebombed. No survivors. Most probably died of smoke inhalation and asphyxiation. Moose located four additional bodies in that park near the trees, about 50 yards away. They were tortured."

I feel like I've been punched in the gut. But I have to push past my feelings and make a decision here. We need to take care of the deceased, but how? There's no more fuel or accelerant in this burned-out town, so we can't cremate. We'll have to bury them hastily in one of the bomb craters.

I breathe in and out, and then order, "Shovels. Use that crater as a starting point for digging. How many do we need to bury? Ten of us will dig, two will make a stretcher and carry the corpses over. Get going."

We only have compact hand shovels for digging foxholes, but with ten of us digging, we make quick work of it. When Finch and George become physically and emotionally exhausted from carrying the bodies, Randor and I take over that job. We head straight to the park to find those who were tortured. We cross an open space in the fading moonlight, and we strain to see in the shadows of the trees. Randor stumbles on something, and as I reach out to help him, I recognize that he tripped on a human foot.

"Don't look, Marlena," he says, attempting to block my view. But it's too late. I already saw the body face down in the grass, with blood on the bare buttocks and thighs. Nearby are three others in similar condition. It was a gang rape, and Skeletor wanted us to find the evidence. I feel sick with growing horror.

But there's no time to feel sick, so we work instead. The team spends more than three hours burying the 213 men, women and children as thoroughly as possible in the circumstances. When we finish the mass grave, we pay our respects and take a five minute rest. After all, Snake Mountain is still standing, so there's still work to be done.

Kai comes over to me, and says, "Cleo, I found an unexploded device while out searching, but I didn't want to move it. Come, take a look." She gestures for me to follow, and, of course, Randor joins us. After a few minutes of bumping our way through the eerie shadows, Kai says, "There, right beside what's left of that doorway."

I kneel down for a closer look with my flashlight. Just as I suspected, it's a fist-sized ball of granulated coridite in a plastic explosive base. Exactly the same as my invention. A digital detonator is attached with a wire, but it appears to be shut off. Definitely stolen technology. It's too late to warn my son about the weapons - he's already facing Skeletor at Grayskull. I look carefully at the bomb, without touching it, to see if I can safely pull out the wire. If I attach my own detonator, I can use it later at Snake Mountain. I turn to Randor and Kai. "Stand back," I say. "Way back."

"No, it's too dangerous!" Randor understands what I'm about to do. But the bomb is inert, and before he can reach out to stop me, it's done. I throw away the detonator and triumphantly hold up the bomb.

"Snake Mountain in one hour," I grin at my husband. "Let's go."

It's almost 3am by the time we board our vehicles and start moving again. Even though we were diverted from our mission, not one of us regrets stopping in Yurko. The sacrifice of those citizens has strengthened our resolve. We fly in silence, and soon the black mass of the Mystic Wall looms ominously at the horizon.

Suddenly my communicator bristles with static, and I can make out a voice trying to get a message through, repeating broken fragments over and over. It's Sasha's voice. Her message is a knife in my heart.

"Operation Squirrel, mission abort," she says. "Repeat, Operation Squirrel, mission abort. Prince Adam is mortally wounded. Grayskull has fallen. Operation Squirrel, mission abort, do you read me?"


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's note: I do not own MOTU or its characters. I also do not own Star Trek. Also: This is a work of fan fiction, just for fun, not for any type of profit or gain, and it's my first fanfic ever, so please be kind. This chapter is rated T._

The words electrocute me with physical and emotional pain. _Could it be true?_ My mind explodes with the possibilities: maybe it's not really Sasha's voice calling off the mission - it could be one of Skeletor's goons luring us into a trap. Maybe Sasha is speaking under duress. Maybe Sasha is the insider who helped Skeletor acquire our technology - but no, she never saw any of my designs or samples. Or maybe it's true: my son is dying two hours away, Grayskull has been taken over by our enemies, and there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe my gambit has already failed.

All of this flashes through me in a heartbeat. In my ear, Randor says, "Molly, we have to -"

But he's interrupted by the communicator. This time it's a different voice, more insistent. "This is She-Ra," crackles the device. "Operation Squirrel, mission abort. All operatives are hereby recalled. I know you can hear me. Respond."

So it's true. Our choice now is either to ignore the message and complete the mission, or to abort the mission to return home. I find that I cannot speak.

It's my husband who answers the call. He chokes out the words, "Message received. Mission abort."

It's a quiet two hour ride back to the palace, not knowing what we'll find there. I feel like a complete failure, as a leader, as a mother. The edge of the horizon changes from black to gray with the approaching dawn. Where Randor had previously pointed out towns on our way out, we now see dark smoke rising. Every single town. Gone.

There's no traffic, no refugees. As we make the final approach toward the canyon along the northeast wall of the palace, a roton pulls out in front of us. It's obviously on a reconnaissance mission. I don't even have to give an order to my team: everyone starts shooting instantly. The roton and its pilot receive direct hits, and it goes down, so I circle around and descend to inspect. The rest of my team hovers above, watching for Doomseekers or more rotons. Sure enough, I hear a few shots, and a Doomseeker spybot crashes down near us, leaving a trail of black smoke.

As I land, I tell Randor, "Pull out two of the plastics for me." He unzips his backpack and hands me two plastic explosives - one of them was the unexploded bomb we found at Yurko. I attach detonators to each one, and Randor rifles through the enemy vehicle. He finds a pair of maps, a dormant Doomseeker and a flask of fuel, which he pours over the body of the pilot, who has been rendered ineligible for interrogation. He stuffs the maps and spybot into his backpack. I pop the hood and slap one bomb on the roton's primary engine block, and the other bomb on the late pilot's chest. "Let's go," I say. We're back on the Sky Sled in under 60 seconds.

I lead the way through the canyon to Hangar 15, fully expecting to come across another roton, but the way is clear. As soon as we're all safely inside, I order the outer door sealed shut, and I reach for my remote detonator. The double explosion startles us with its intensity and rattles the whole canyon. And then everyone looks to me for instructions.

"We're going back out," I tell them, "But I'm not sure when. Four or five hours perhaps. Refuel, repair. Refresh yourselves - extra rations and plenty of camping gear by the rear wall. Rest here until I return."

Randor and I walk briskly through the palace halls, looking for someone to give us news. Finally I spot Lieutenant Gax sitting alone on a side staircase. He's hunched over, his hands partially covering his face.

"Gax!" I call out. "How are you? Everything all right?" But as soon as I see his face, I know it's not all right. "What happened? Where's Captain Gen?"

"Dead," he answers. "Who - ?"

I remove my helmet. "We're your sovereigns. I'm so sorry, Gax," I say, touching his hand. "Your brother was a faithful friend and a brave man."

But Gax jumps to his feet in alarm. "Your Majesties! They've been waiting for you...come with me - quickly!" He leads us back toward the royal suites, explaining recent events as we go. "Skeletor had some new weapons - very powerful. We suffered heavy casualties - and Grayskull was damaged - but the two sorceresses managed to create a shield over us. Princess Teela - or should I still call her Major? - or Sorceress? - kept appearing where she was most needed, shriveling Skeletor's henchmen into dust...and She-Ra disabled the enemy's weapons...while He-Man faced off with Skeletor. I've never seen them fight like that before. Skeletor grew back his lost arm, plus an extra. They hacked at each other for hours - He-Man cut off Skeletor's head, but his skull just floated and returned to its place…then there was a legion of undead soldiers..."

We're almost at Adam's door, so I interrupt, "What happened to my son?"

"I couldn't see - it was chaos - but somehow he lost his sword...I don't know...it seemed to merge with Skeletor's sword...He-Man became Adam again...then Princess Teela intervened, but he had already sustained injuries...she got the sword, and Skeletor took the opportunity to escape into Grayskull…" Gax's words tumble over each other as he tries to turn them into a cohesive narrative.

Randor places one arm around me, and opens the door to Adam's suite with his free hand. It must be bad if they didn't even bother taking him to the medical wing. We step inside.

My son was supposed to spend the past night making love to his bride in this bed, but here he lies, bleeding through his heavy bandages. Half his face is wrapped, but I can see his lips are blue. Adam breathes in irregular rattles and gasps. The powerful She-Ra is on her knees weeping beside him, while Teela stands in her tattered wedding gown with her hands waving slowly in the air above him. Purplish rays of light appear to be rising from his body into her outstretched palms. Sasha is in the corner, holding some towels and bandages, looking frightened. Randor and I are both speechless, and we both fall to our knees.

As if in answer to my unspoken query, Teela says, "I'm pulling out the dark magic - I think that's why no one has been able to heal him yet." Gradually, the purple beams weaken and fade away. Then Teela leans in closer, and her hands glow an iridescent white.

At that, She-Ra looks up, saying, "If we combine…" She holds out her sword, commands it to heal, and it, too, glows in the same iridescent light. After several minutes, she despairs, "It's not working!" Her whole face breaks into a sob of hopelessness. Randor rushes over to embrace her.

Teela breaks down, too. On her knees beside me now, she leans her head on her husband's shoulder, crying hysterically, "It wasn't supposed to be this way...I wish it were me instead…I would give my life for him…" She opens her eyes and looks at me imploringly, as if I would have the answer.

And then, suddenly, Teela and I both see it at the same time: where Teela's tears and kisses had fallen, the smaller cuts and scratches on Adam's body are healing.

Stunned, Teela gazes at my son, not sure what to do next. Remembering a conversation from the previous day, I whisper to her, "Sometimes love is the most powerful magic of all…"

A decision seems to click in Teela's mind. The out-of-control grief and desperation are gone, a faint smile glows on her lovely, tear-stained face. She closes her eyes, breathes in and out slowly. "I know what to do," she says. Teela sits up on the bed and leans down directly over her husband's face, nose to nose. "My life is your life, your life is my life...my breath is your breath, your breath is my breath," she repeats three times, inhaling and exhaling deeply each time. Then she says, "My love is your love, your love is my love," again repeating it three times and kissing him deeply on the lips each time. She presses her forehead to his, saying three times, "My thoughts are your thoughts, your thoughts are my thoughts...My strength is your strength, your strength is my strength...My pain is your pain, your pain is my pain."

I saw something like this in a Star Trek movie once, a Vulcan mind meld. Teela appears to be feeling everything that Adam is feeling. But it's more than just their minds connecting. Adam's breathing becomes a little more regular, his lips are now pink, his one good eye blinks open. She-Ra and Randor look on in mute amazement, holding each other tightly as if to verify that this is really happening.

"Teela, it's working," I tell her. "Whatever you're doing, it's working. What can we do to help?"

On the bed straddling her husband now, Teela starts unwrapping bandages. "Adora, your sword," she says, and She-Ra hands it over. Teela slices off more bandages, then she holds out her hand and pricks her own fingertip, letting a drop of her blood drip into Adam's mouth. "My soul is your soul, your soul is my soul," she says three times. Adam swallows three drops of his wife's blood, while she licks one of his open wounds three times. His skin becomes flushed, and his breathing becomes much more rapid. He looks and sounds feverish.

It's both horrifying and fascinating.

But there's no time to dwell on it, because Teela quickly cuts off the bandages on Adam's head, revealing a large vertical gash and a gaping wound where his left eye used to be. I gasp, and Randor lets out something between a yelp and a sob. Tears are streaming down his cheeks. I can tell that his heart is being ripped apart. He hasn't said a single word since the moment we entered this room.

And yet...those open gashes seem to be healing before my eyes. More importantly, Adam is conscious now. Teela speaks with increasing confidence, "My sight is your sight, your sight is my sight...my voice is your voice, your voice is my voice...my ears are your ears, your ears are my ears...my touch is your touch, your touch is my touch…" She looks around at us with an odd expression and says, "We need some privacy to seal the bond...if you could…"

Randor and She-Ra move back a little, surprised. But I say, "Of course, of course, let me just help you with the dress." I remove what's left of Teela's wedding dress and toss it aside, leaving Teela in her slip. Immediately she turns to her husband, asking, "Adam, do you give your consent? This will be a permanent bond - you'll be healed, but we'll be joined - we can't undo it."

As I step backwards toward the door, Adam nods at his wife.

Teela kisses him, saying, "My body is your body…" That's the cue to leave and shut the door. Adam is going to be just fine.

In the hallway, She-Ra holds her sword in front of herself and says, "Let the power return." A flash of light, then our pregnant daughter re-appears before us. Our angry pregnant daughter.

"Where the hell have you been?" she snaps at us. "We were being slaughtered out there, and you - you vanished! How could you leave us like that - don't you care about anything other than yourselves? You - "

While she's ranting, I'm calculating the quickest way to calm her down and shut her up. First I'll answer the question succinctly, then I'll get straight to business. No emotion. I sense that Randor is really upset, so I'll have to do the talking this time.

So I interrupt Adora, taking Randor's arm and measuring each of my words carefully but lightly, "Darling, we were on our way to Snake Mountain with some of my fresh homemade bombs, but we were sidetracked in Yurko to bury the dead. Now why don't you fill us in on what's happening with the military council? Is that where Sea Hawk is?" Adora glares at both of us, but I can see that I have successfully defused her temper for the time being.

"This way," she says, leading us toward the council chamber near the throne hall, avoiding eye contact. I nod at Sasha, who goes the other way back toward my solar. "My husband is representing our family in the council at this moment. We expect an attack on Eternos City today. By the way, your disguises are pathetic: you wouldn't have lasted five minutes against the Horde back on Etheria."

At that, I have to smile.

I look over at my husband, expecting to see his lopsided grin, and notice instead that the color has drained out of his face. His steps begin to stagger, and he slumps toward the wall. I gently lower him to the floor. Randor speaks his first word since we arrived at the palace: "Water."


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's note: This chapter is rated M. Please do not read if you are under 18._

Logically, I know that the most likely explanation for Randor's sudden onset of weakness is emotional and physical exhaustion compounded by dehydration. I don't think I saw him drink more than a few sips of water all night, and he definitely had more than his fair share of liquor at the wedding dinner - less than twelve hours ago. But I can't help thinking that his symptoms could be a sign of cardiac arrest or dark magic. I stuff those thoughts in the back of my mind as I call out to my daughter, "Adora, Plan B! We'll let Sea Hawk meet with the military council, while you and I get your father back to bed for some rest." Adora looks on, horrified and guilt-stricken.

"Father, oh, Father," she says, kissing his face. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have spoken in anger, I'm just so…"

I need someone a little more helpful than this. Far down the hall, I spot a bit of red fabric poking around the corner. Someone nosy, always hovering in the background - always avoiding me, because I'm the only person in the palace whom he fears. "ORKO!" I yell, dropping all courtesy. "Get over here and help us NOW!"

Sheepishly, the little alien floats toward us with his hands behind his back, his glowing eyes downcast out of a combination of guilt and respect. He wears a red wizard's hat, red robes and a purple scarf that masks his face. Observing his mannerism, I'm absolutely certain that he was causing trouble in another part of the palace minutes ago. "Yes, Your Majesty?" he inquires.

"Levitate my husband and help us get him into bed without injury," I tell him calmly. "That's an order."

"Yes, Your Majesty." He snaps his fingers, and Randor rises up about four feet in the air, as if lying comfortably on an invisible bed. Adora and I quickly guide him to our suite.

Approaching our bed, I turn again to Orko and thank him for his kindness. "And, darling," I say affectionately, "Please ask Chef Allen to send up some bone broth, electrolyte water, fruit, eggs and toast right away. And please, please, darling, stay out of trouble. We're all on edge and we do need your support. Whatever it is you've done today, I forgive you."

Orko bows his head, again saying, "Yes, Your Majesty." Another snap of his fingers, and Randor's boots and fatigues appear in a pile next to the bed, the king plops gently down upon the mattress in his underwear, and Orko disappears.

Adora has gotten a grip on herself, and is taking Randor's vitals. "Steady pulse, shallow but regular breathing," she says, "But signs of dehydration - sunken eyes, dry lips…let's cover him to prevent shock…"

"Can you detect any dark magic?" I ask.

"No, but it's unlikely," Adora answers. "Teela saw to that. She destroyed Skeletor's Havoc Staff and recovered the sword. The Sorceress said that she sealed off Grayskull's throne room so that he wouldn't have access to any of its magical artifacts or portals."

"The Sorceress? Where is she now?" I decide not to point out that there are plenty of masters of dark arts besides Skeletor.

"She and Duncan are holding Grayskull under siege - no one may enter or exit the castle. It's just a matter of time now - Skeletor's lost most of his weapons, henchmen and vehicles," Adora answers matter-of-factly. In my mind, I see all of these events playing out, and the allocation of resources necessary for a victory on our side. I also see some possible obstacles and alliances that could help either side. It's not just a matter of time - time is just one of the many resources being used by both sides.

With a pop, Orko reappears beside a levitating tray of food and drink, which I gently place on the nightstand. "Thank you, Orko, darling," I begin, "But don't go just yet. I have some questions for you, and I need some help getting the king to drink."

Orko nods nervously, saying, "As you wish, Your Majesty." The pillows fluff up, and Randor's head and shoulders are elevated enough for him to drink comfortably. A few sips every few minutes, and he'll recover. Adora takes charge of nursing her father back to health, while I pump Orko for information.

Does he sense any sorcery in the area, other than what's happening in Adam's room? Can he identify any magical causes for Randor's condition? How many sorcerers can he think of who might join Skeletor's cause, and can he track them through magic? Are any of them nearby? Has he noticed anything strange in the palace today, any odd or suspicious behavior? Has anything or anyone gone missing? And why is he acting so guilty?

Patiently and attentively, the little court magician answers everything, concluding, "I- I ate all the leftover wedding cake, and Chef Allen banned me from the kitchen. He was not happy to see me when I brought him your order just now."

Adora and I both crack up at that. Even Randor smiles mischievously. Then, as Orko exits, Sasha enters the room with a giant, steaming mug of strong, hot tea for me - exactly what I needed. I sit on the bed next to my husband and put my feet up, saying in between sips of tea, "Thank you, Sasha, darling, you know me well. I was wondering, could you send in Dal? I'd like to ask him about some of Randor's engineering sketches."

At that, Sasha appears confused. "But, but he said His Majesty was sending him to the safe house in the south with some documents - in preparation for a possible evacuation - that's what he said - "

Randor and I look at each other wordlessly. We found our leak. This is how Skeletor was able to acquire our technology. I put down my cup, and walk over to the door that leads from our bedroom to Randor's study, opening it slowly, carefully. No trip-wires, nothing appears out of order in the room. I walk over to the desk, and there is a ring of keys for all of the cabinets, something that should never be left out in the open like that. So I start unlocking files. The architectural sketches are all there. None of the treaties or tax bills seem to be missing. The thick file of family sketches is definitely untouched. But there are no military intelligence reports from the past year. And two years' worth of engineering blueprints - gone.

My stomach hardens into a tight ball.

Returning to my bedroom, everyone looks to me for a sign. Can this really be happening?

My face gives it away. Adora swears violently under her breath: she has a strong dislike for moles.

"Damn him!," shouts Randor. "My own nephew - my personal secretary - I trusted him - how?"

"When exactly did Dal leave here, Sasha?" I ask. I'm plagued by guilt - this is exactly why Duncan refuses to work with blueprints, and keeps such tight security on his lab. I was the one who encouraged Randor to take in Dal, whose father was one of Randor's many half-brothers, and prepare him for a career in government. I feel like a total failure - again.

"Four, five hours ago…" Sasha answers.

Thinking it through, I say, "Then he's already at Grayskull. He won't be any use to Skeletor now, so if he gets through the siege, Skeletor will kill him instantly. If he doesn't get through the siege, then Duncan has him."

Randor tries to get out of bed. "We have to go -"

"No, you're not going anywhere, Father," insists Adora. She takes out her sword. "You, too, Mother."

Randor and I both recoil in alarm. But Adora places the sword's hilt on her father's chest, saying, "Heal." He is bathed in a shimmering white glow, and as it fades he becomes drowsy-looking. Then she approaches me and does the same thing. I have the overwhelming urge to curl up and fall asleep. Randor and I haven't slept at all in the past 24 hours.

"I thought only She-Ra could do that," I muse aloud, blinking my eyes slowly.

In a bossy voice, she says, "Well, the secret's out, so no need to pretend I can't. I'm only doing it because you two won't take care of yourselves. You can go chasing after traitors and blowing things up later." With that, my daughter marches out of the room, waving to Sasha to follow her.

Alone with my husband now, I gulp down my tea, burning my throat. He mutters with his eyes already closed, "She takes after you, you know." Finally I let myself fall onto the bed beside him, drape my arms across his chest, and immediately drift into sleep.

I awaken to a rhythmic pounding on the wall, and check the time. More than an hour has passed since Adora left. Soon there's also moaning coming from Adam's room - and the banging is increasing both in frequency and volume. My heart leaps at the thought that my son is alive and well and enjoying the company of his bride. I won't be able to go back to sleep with that noise - I can't say I feel refreshed, but I decide to seize the opportunity for a shower.

I quickly soap up and scrub away the thick black smudges on my cheekbones. As the water rinses over me, I allow myself to feel every emotion that was suppressed over the past day. Fear, rage, grief, shock, frustration and joy. To think of all that I could have lost - and indeed, to think of all that Eternia did in fact lose - almost seems too much for one person to feel. If only I could have completed my mission…

Tears are sliding down my cheeks in the shower. My vision is blurred; I can't hold back anymore. I'm sobbing silently, alone.

Suddenly the shower door opens, and my husband is standing there naked. I didn't hear him enter the bathroom.

Randor's warm eyes are locked onto mine as he steps under the jet of water. His presence is soothing and thrilling at the same time. The attraction is mutual - as it always has been.

No talking. He just starts washing his hair and face while I lather up his chest, shoulder, back, arms, hips...savoring every inch of his gorgeous body. I can feel his muscles tighten in arousal under my touch. My fingers trace some of his more prominent scars - the thick cut on his neck where his brother once tried to kill him, slashes on his sword arm, the wide mark above his pelvis that made walking painful for many months when Adam was 5 years old. Now Adam is scarred for life, too. Like father, like son.

My hands move with erotic intentions around his lower body, and he pulls me in for some feverish kissing. His hands are everywhere. Only this man can possibly understand what I'm thinking and feeling. My mind needs him. My body aches for him. "I don't want to feel anything but you," I tell him.

Just to make my meaning crystal clear, I've got one hand on his genitals in the front, and the other hand massaging his anus from behind. Randor yanks me off of him, and roughly spins me around 180 degrees. I brace myself against the wall while he spreads my legs a little and aligns himself with me. The energy between us explodes into movement, and I realize just how slippery everything is: the wall, the floor, my body, his body. I lose my balance and catch myself a few times before extracting myself and shutting off the water. In answer to his exasperation, I explain, "We're going to break our necks in here - we need some dry friction…" He tries to grab me again, but I elude him and reach the towels first.

I dry myself quickly, and then tackle Randor with my towel and rub him down, too. Within seconds, I'm sitting on the bathroom counter with my legs wrapped around him, expressing my passion with every appendage I've got. He scoops me up, turns and shoves me up against the wall, and then he penetrates me again. In a low voice beside my ear, Randor growls, "Wet and tight...just like our first time...in the Royal Gardens...under the stars...the same stars that brought you to me…" With each phrase, he nails me deeper and deeper.

His words transport me back twenty years to that late night when Randor smuggled me out of quarantine under a pile of blankets in a wheelchair. It was only five days after my crash, so my left arm and leg were casted, and my lower ribs were bandaged thickly, and I couldn't do much on my own. My host spread a blanket on the grass in a secluded location, and we lay down together to identify and discuss the stars that we saw. I was explaining the differences among Class G, Class K and Class M stars, which only made me feel more tiny, powerless, alone and insignificant in the vast universe. It was Randor's promise of friendship and love that brought me back to a sense of reality. On that night he was so tender, so kind, so loving…

But tonight is different. I feel my husband pressing in upon me forcefully from all directions, and he's everything I desire. The more I gasp and grunt in exhilaration, the more aggressive he becomes. It's as if I'm levitating by the force of his will - I'm clinging to him for dear life, my arms and legs melting into his hot skin, as he melts into me.

Within seven or eight minutes, I feel the focus of pleasure ready to burst between us. Randor is the key to unlocking my emotions, and it's all released in a torrent. I call out, "Randy!" The bathroom seems to get darker, and stars appear around the edges of my vision. Intense waves pulse along every nerve down to the tips of my fingers and toes, even out to each hair on my head. Randor cries out, too, but he doesn't slow down until the waves have washed away from both of us.

Slowly, I allow my feet to slide down toward the floor. Randor regards me with his goofiest lopsided grin, and I return it wholeheartedly, laughing. "Enough friction for you, my love?" he asks. With one arm around my back, he reaches over to open the bathroom door with his free hand, and I'm swept away into the bedroom. We tumble onto the bed, peppering each other with smooches and sweet nothings.

"That," I say while rolling on top of Randor, "was the best I've ever had."

His eyes twinkle merrily. "You're losing your credibility," he answers. "You say that at least twice a year."

"Only because you keep improving your technique, darling."

"Well, I'd have to say the best for me is still that time on the beach in Rakashma…" He teases, trailing off as his arms wrap around me again, squeezing me even closer. He's nibbling my cheek and ear.

In mock indignance, I respond, "Hmph - it was the best for you, because I did all the work while you lay on your back...afterwards we fell asleep in the sun and my backside got burnt because I was on top...and then Duncan brought the children out to the beach after their nap, and they found us lying there nude…"

"It was one of the happiest days of my life," Randor concludes. "Everything I ever hoped for - love, peace, friendship - was mine that day." He punctuates the sentence by closing his mouth over mine so that I cannot respond. There's nothing left to say anyway.


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's note: I'm posting three chapters today, so if you think a chunk of plot is missing, go back and make sure you saw everything. Many thanks for your continued encouragement and support. This chapter is rated T for some violence. I just couldn't resist bringing in a character from an old Filmation MOTU episode and giving him the proper send-off._

"Hangar 15, prepare to depart in thirty minutes. All is well. We are waiting for an all-clear. Repeat, Hangar 15, prepare to depart in thirty minutes." I attach the communicator to my ear, put on my combat helmet, and reach out for Randor's hand. We're ready for our second attempt at Operation Squirrel. This time we've agreed not to get sidetracked. No matter what.

And then, just like that, we're sidetracked: an explosion rocks the royal palace.

"That was the main gate," says Randor. "What - or who - ?"

"If it's not Skeletor," I answer, "Then it's one of the other sorcerers…" Alarms are blaring outside.

The hallway is abandoned, so we decide to see Teela and Adam first. I knock politely but urgently on Adam's door.

There's a rustling sound inside, and after a minute, Teela opens the door wearing Adam's nightshirt. A grin is sliding up one side of her face as she says, "The sheets, right, Mother? For legal reasons?"

For a split second, I feel confused. Her manner, tone and words are Adam's. But the body and the voice are Teela's. Meanwhile, Adam is on the bed, hiding under a sheet up to his neck like a modest girl. I think to myself, _They've switched bodies._

But then Teela blinks her eyes, and she seems to return to herself. "We're all needed at the main gate," she says. "But it won't take long. And then you should go complete your mission."

"That's what Marlena and I were planning to do," Randor replies, clearly taken aback that this officer, not yet twenty years old, feels such ease and confidence in telling us what to do. "Shall we give you a few moments to get dressed?"

"No," says Teela vaguely, waving her hand across her midline and out toward Adam across the room. Instantly, Adam is back in his military dress uniform, and Teela is wearing her teal dancing gown from two nights ago - my old backless, low-cut halter. Adam immediately gets up and walks toward her, admiring the view from behind, while Teela looks in the mirror and adds some finishing touches with another wave of her hand - hair up, tiara, snake jewelry and full make-up. Then she looks at me and Randor, and snaps her fingers - now Randor is in his uniform, and I'm in my usual green day dress with a tiara and veil over my military-style hair. I check the mirror, and the fresh black smudges on my cheekbones have been replaced by natural, glowing make-up. All of this happens in five seconds flat. Teela hasn't explained why she changed us like this.

Reading my questioning thoughts, she prattles on, "So this is what we'll do: the four of us will greet the first wave of the invasion, and that'll buy some time to evacuate the city. Yes, I know who's at the gates, that's why I chose this getup. Then I'll take you down to your team and open a portal for you - that'll shorten the travel time significantly. Adam and I will handle the evacuation and ensuing battle. We'll meet you at the refugee camp - Adora has an idea where that should be. Ready? Let's go."

I'm trying not to laugh at Teela's newfound self-assurance, but Randor stammers, "How - why...?"

Teela smiles at her father-in-law indulgently while taking our hands. "I have control over my powers now," she explains. "Adam, uh...helped me. The binding spell that you saw - it was successful."

I look from Teela's face to Adam's, which has a thick, long vertical white scar down the left side, right over his healed left eye. "You mean - you're - ?"

Adam smirks and says, "Two bodies, one soul. The power of Grayskull and the power of the warrior goddess combined. Hey, let's do this, Tee." He holds out his hand, and the four of us clasp our hands together in one stack. I feel a dizzy sensation for a second, and then I see that we're in the palace's main entrance hall. Teela takes Adam's arm and walks in front of me and Randor.

Sure enough, a sorcerer approaches through the smashed main gates, with a miscellaneous army of beasts, machines and animated corpses behind him. And just as Randor had predicted at Adam's wedding reception, it's Malek, who proved to us last year that he was not friendly to our family or our government: he professed his undying love for Teela while attempting a coup d'etat.

But Teela plays it cool. "Malek, you returned...for me?" Her sweet tone of voice almost suggests that she would prefer his company. Almost.

Malek, ever the optimist, interprets that as an opening. "Yes, my love. Come away with me now, before the city falls. Eternos will be sacked within the hour - join me, leave these people now, and we will spare them. There is nothing for you here." He extends a hand toward Teela and steps closer.

"No, Malek. It is you who must submit to me," replies Teela. Lifting her fingers ever so slightly, all of the machines behind Malek suddenly collapse with a clanging, crashing clamor. Randor and I struggle to keep our poker faces amid the noise.

Malek jumps in shock, and looks back at Teela in astonishment. "What?"

"I said, 'It is you who must submit to me,'" Teela repeats calmly, walking forward smoothly with Adam. She holds up her free hand, and all of the terrifying beasts are reduced to miniature, about 5% of their original sizes. They scurry around like mice. "Do you know who I am?" she asks.

"No, it can't be," says Malek. But it's clear he doubts what he just said. "Teela, come with me now, before Eternos is destroyed - please, please, my love."

"I'm not your love," says Teela very softly. "I never was." She makes a small slashing movement with her hand this time, and all of the undead army disintegrate into ashes. "Do you surrender to me?"

"No!" shouts Malek, and he raises both arms, his staff clutched in his left hand. Red bolts of energy zap toward us. In response, Teela simply holds out the palm of her hand, which absorbs the constant stream of energy, now turning blue, then green, then yellow. But something is going very wrong on Malek's end of the stream. He appears horror-struck. The proud sorcerer falls to his knees. His arms are desiccating. His staff crumbles into dust.

That's when I realize that Malek is not sending out energy anymore - it's being pulled out of him. He's being sucked dry. Randor takes half a step forwrd as if about to intervene, but then he stops himself.

"No - goddess, have mercy...I submit...I did not recognize you, forgive me, goddess," Malek begs. The energy stream, now white, is already fading. Malek has aged thirty or forty years in just one minute. And I'm not talking about graceful aging, either. I pity him.

Teela speaks coldly, "I will spare you, in memory of our past friendship. But the king cannot trust you. Go back and tell your master that the tide has turned against him." She sneers and almost spits at the word 'master.'

"No, I can't! He'll kill me! Don't send me - "

"Go. There is nothing for you here." Teela throws the sorcerer's words right back at him. Teela and Adam turn and walk away, still arm-in-arm, so Randor and I do the same. I sneak one peek back over my shoulder and see Malek retreating with his head down, arms hanging limply at his sides. His army is gone. His power is gone. He won't ever trouble us again.

Inside the palace, Teela cues us to join hands again. In a heartbeat, we appear down in Hangar 15, back in our combat helmets and fatigues. Before I become fully aware of our surroundings, the first thing I hear is Adora's voice, saying, "...rendezvous at Lady Amanda's estate on the north side of the Evergreen Forest, it will be our main refugee camp during the present crisis, so you'll find your family and friends there after this mission…"

I march right up to my daughter and tell her, "This is MY mission, young lady, you are NOT giving the orders here, I am!"

"Keep your panties on, Mother, I'm only coordinating the evacuation. Teela, can't you do something to improve their disguises?" Adora speaks in a condescending, disrespectful tone that absolutely infuriates me. Randor holds me back and gestures toward Teela and Adam, who are speaking to each team member in turn.

I retrieve our backpacks and get things set up for departure, avoiding eye contact with Adora. When I look up again, Teela is pointing toward the exit gate, drawing a large rectangle in the air. As she does so, a line made of light appears and forms a large portal.

Randor is hugging our children goodbye and wishing them each a good journey, so I swallow my pride and hug Adora. I embrace her, expecting her to be all soft and squishy, but her belly is hard as a rock. Gazing into her eyes, I stroke her bump, feeling the baby's bottom pointed up, the back pressed tight against Adora's skin and the head down low. "Are the contractions painful yet?" I ask her.

"Not really," she says. My daughter is a terrible liar.

"Adora, darling, I'll come back and help you," I offer.

"You'd better." Then she breaks her gaze away from mine.

Adams hugs me next. He just breathes softly, "Mother." He kisses me on the cheek, just like he did when he was a little boy - except now he has to tip my chin upward and lean down toward me.

Teela strides toward me purposefully. While kissing both of my cheeks and my forehead, she instructs me, "When danger comes, call my name three times, and a portal will open, leading you to safety. I will not forsake you, not after all that you have done for me, Mom." She smiles a knowing smile, full of meaning.

"But...your name? Your true name?" I ask.

Teela is amused at that. "You know me: I'm Teela, daughter of Duncan. Now go!" And in a whisper, smiling warmly, she adds with a wink, "But finish quickly. Adora needs you."

My operatives await my command; my confidence falters, and fear begins to creep in. But I won't let it show. "Listen up, team! Same instructions, this time we've got a shortcut. We'll be back in time for dinner with a great story to tell. On my signal -" I leap onto my Sky Sled, with Randor right behind me again. I rev up the engine, and raise my right hand to direct the others. I allow myself one glance over my shoulder at my beloved children before we pass through the portal to the Dark Hemisphere on the far side of the Mystic Wall. I hear my husband take in a deep breath, as if it's his last taste of freedom: Snake Mountain is just visible on the murky horizon.

 _Next chapter will be all about Queen Marlena at Snake Mountain._


	20. Chapter 20

_Rated M for violence - oh, and one swear word._

"You have done, and are doing and shall do the will of Grayskyull."

Flying in low across the Dark Hemisphere, yesterday's words from the Spirit of Grayskull haunt me. Has all of this been part of a larger plan? It sure doesn't seem like it.

"There, the Dead Forest, northeast, land just behind the tree line," I speak into my communicator calmly, leading the way.

Randor lifts his arm to aim his weapon, in case there is enemy movement ahead. But there's no one in this eerie landscape. He instructs the team, "Shoot anything that moves. If it's not us, it's hostile."

One by one, we land our vehicles in an opening between the remains of the trees. Dismounting, I order, "Foxholes. Now. Two stand guard, the rest prepare defenses. Just in case." We make quick work of it: a semicircle of foxholes around the vehicles, and a low wall of logs, soil and rocks around the semicircle. It's not much, but it'll do in a pinch.

Randor takes me aside, leans down toward my ear and says softly, "Molly, I - "

Interrupting, I whisper back quickly, "I know, I love you, too, I always will."

He smiles at me warmly, "I do love you dearly, but I need to tell you - I gave my signet ring to Adam - he's the acting king now. If anything happens…" But he doesn't finish that sentence.

So I complete his thought for him. "The only thing that will happen is an extra-long second honeymoon for us. You decide: beach house or mountain chateau? Come on."

Then we each grab our backpacks and march in two columns across a few hundred yards of wasteland to the lower entrance of Skeletor's apparently abandoned headquarters. Silently I demonstrate how to set up the Pandora's Box to absorb magical energy, leaving it on the ground. My intention is to pick it up when it's full on our way out. But in the two minutes it takes to verify that everyone set it up correctly, I see that my Pandora's Box has already reached capacity and shut itself off. There must be megatons of magical energy here. Each of the other Pandora's Boxes also shuts off in turn - they're all full. So I pick mine up, and cautiously approach the mountain's stone door, carved with mysterious glyphs. The truth is, I'm not sure how to enter the mountain without explosives, but I don't want to give away our presence just yet.

I reach out and trace some of the glyphs with my free hand, looking for a way inside, when suddenly the heavy door just falls open, narrowly missing my husband. We're still recoiling in shock when King Hiss pounces out and snatches the Pandora's Box from my hand. Eleven weapons are pointed at him, awaiting my command. But we know from experience that it takes a lot more than an arm cannon to eliminate a snakeman.

"Sssssso nicccce of you to visssit, humanssss," taunts the humanoid snake. I'm not ready to make a move - I don't see any way out, except to get the others to run. "Is thissss a presssent for me?" He holds out the box, examining it on all sides. He tries to look in through the aperture, moving it closer to his eyes. That's when he makes his fatal error: he presses the expunge button on top, and a two-inch wide bolt of magical energy carbonizes him.

Literally pure carbon. Randor steps forward and pinches his shoulder, which is crushed into blackened ash. The empty Pandora's Box falls harmlessly to the ground, and I pick it up. I had never thought of it as a ballistic weapon before, but it's ideal for this mission, isn't it?

Quickly, I press the switch to set it to absorb more magical energy from the place as I formulate a new plan for entry. Excitedly, I address my huddled team in a whisper, "We go in single file, holding out our boxes. As each box is expunged, that person goes to the back of the line and resets the box. Point blank range only. Understood?" They all nod but look unnerved. So Randor volunteers to go in first, while I go to the back of the line.

The plans works. Kobra Khan and three more snakemen go down instantly as we fan out across the ground floor. I hear Zulu call out, "Fuel tanks! Mike, over here!" And then she yelps. Mike is already on his way, and I follow. Another snakeman is kneeling over Zulu's body, fangs sunk deep in her neck. Mike neutralizes the enemy before he can react to our presence, while I sweep the rest of the room for hostiles, but there are none. I pull my hunting knife out of my boot, and stab one of the fuel tanks. A steady trickle drips out, highly flammable. We set charges all over the place, and I pull the backpack off Zulu's body on my way out: now I have double the number of explosives to distribute.

Back in the main hallway, I step over Victor's body (near yet another roasted snakeman) and meet Randor, who is also carrying two packs, one on his front and one on his back. He reports, "Ground floor complete. Moose is in the dungeons, everyone else is heading upstairs. Snakemen live underground - we're safer if we go up." With that, he guides me to the spiral stone staircase, while Mike goes outside to his rendezvous point.

On the stairs, Moose's voice come across the communicator. "No survivors in the dungeons, charges set, now exiting...aaaargh!" Then nothing.

The second and third levels of the mountain are quickly covered - Skeletor's throne hall and, above it, a relatively comfortable communal living area. Some of the team are wearing headlamps in the gloom. It doesn't feel like we're above ground. Everything smells damp and warm, like a subterranean cave. We're encased in thick rock walls, reminiscent of a tomb. Then two levels of a library, labs and different types of workrooms, followed by three levels of various bedrooms and guest rooms. In the topmost part of the mountain, the rooms are smaller, the walls slant inward and the contents of the rooms reveal the mind of Skeletor. "Aha!" exclaims Randor upon entering the war room, with maps plastered all over the walls. It's clear that a systematic invasion had been planned for years. Randor collects and folds up the maps that are most heavily marked, and stashes them in his almost-empty pack.

Finally, on the tenth level, in the mouth of the coiled snake, we find Skeletor's personal lab, lined with shelves and cabinets around the walls. A large cauldron stands at the center of the room. Randor starts setting up the rope for rappelling to the ground below, while I examine the contents of the shelves, and set charges. The bottles and jars are all carefully labeled, though I don't recognize most of the ingredients here. I identify some granulated coridite in a group of several jars, so I attach a bomb to that shelf, knowing the explosion will be magnified there. Anything I recognize as flammable or explosive gets a bomb. Then something catches my eye: Oil of Zahar, in a heavy dark brown glass bottle. The deadliest poison in Eternia, the stuff of legends, very rare. And wouldn't you know it, the bottle is nearly full. I make sure it's sealed shut and drop it in my bag.

One by one, the survivors of our team join us. By the time I've finished examining the lab, Randor has already sent down four people. Finally, a group of three come up: Yankee with her leg bleeding badly, supported by Gecko and Finch.

"They're coming," says Gecko, breathless.

"We go down two at a time," I say. "Harnesses on." I start attaching my harness to Yankee's, and before I know it, we're sliding down the rope twice as fast as anything I've ever practiced. Yankee lands hard with a scream, and falls onto her side. I tumble on top of her, trying to separate us before Gecko and Finch crash into our heads. I manage to roll us away in the nick of time. I look up and see a flash of light at the snake's mouth - it must be Randor expunging his Pandora's Box at more snakemen - and suddenly he's zooming down the rope...without a harness. Even before he lands on a carbonized snakeman with a football-style shoulder roll, I can see that he's been injured. I look around and see the remains of two more snakemen nearby. Mike and the others have been busy here.

"Go! Go! Go!" I shout. There are still nine of us in all, and we have to help each other back to the vehicles. We take turns pulling, carrying, dragging each other away from the mountain. "Foxholes! Injured in the Wind Raider!" We drop Yankee in the back seat of the raider, and I carefully wrap a scarf around her mouth and nose, and put on her goggles. "There's going to be a dust cloud," I explain, as she looks up at me, all confused. "We'll be home soon." I wrap another scarf tightly around her leg wound.

I dive into my foxhole while pulling out my own detonator and gear from my pack. "Goggles on! Cover your face! It's gonna get dirty!" Then I take one last glance around to make sure everyone is ready. I hold up my detonator. "Countdown: three, two, one, go!"

At the top of the mountain, I see the snake's head explode, and then everything is consumed in choking dust. There are explosions inside the explosions, dozens upon dozens. I put my head down and just focus on breathing for a few seconds. The ground trembles, and there are more booms as the mountain collapses and crumbles. But then there's another sound, not chemical or geological. I look up again: I can't really see anything, but I sense it somehow. Something dark and large, coming up through the cloud.

In panic, I jump up. A few others have sensed it, too. "Go! Run!" I mount my Sky Sled, rev the engine, and Randor slides in behind me.

"What is it?" he asks.

"The spirit of Snake Mountain," I answer, rising into the air and pointing us toward the Mystic Wall. I know it, without knowing how I know it. I also know that we need to get away - fast. Beside us, Gecko is piloting the Wind Raider, Finch is on a Sky Sled by herself, and Oscar and Mike are each on a Sky Sled with their partners, George and Kai. Into my communicator, I yell, "MAXIMUM SPEED!" And we're off.

On the ground below us is a sea of thousands of black vipers vomited up from the bowels of Snake Mountain, spreading out over the land. But that's not even the worst of it. I can feel Randor holding me tightly as he twists around to get a glimpse of what's chasing us. I don't want to know, but I have a feeling….

"Shit!" exclaims my husband. "We won't make it!"

George shouts into the communicator, "It's a monster snake - the mountain was alive - we'll fight it so you can escape - "

"NO!" I scream. "That's an order!" But it's too late - Oscar is behind us, apparently facing off against the creature. There's a loud, metallic crunch. Oscar and George are gone - but the monster was distracted for a few seconds. There is no escape for us - or is there? "Teela, daughter of Duncan!" I cry into the empty air. "Teela, daughter of Duncan! Teela, daughter of Duncan! Hear me! Save us!"

My daughter-in-law is true to her promise. Fifty yards ahead, an invisible hand draws a rectangle of light that fills itself in to become a glowing portal - just wide enough for a Wind Raider. Now fifteen yards, ten yards, Mike and Kai pass through first, then Finch. Randor and I follow close behind Gecko, almost bumping him.

We burst through the portal into a forest - the Evergreen Forest. In a blur I think I see some tents a ways off, but I spin around to face the portal again to battle the giant serpent. As the monster's hissing, shrieking head appears, Randor and Mike are already shooting desperately. But there's no need. The portal vanishes as suddenly as it appeared, and while fading, it also slices right through the serpent's skull, and the bloody mess drops with a sloppy thud to the forest floor. The power of Snake Mountain has been broken.


	21. Chapter 21

_Rated M again for violence. Double update today - if you're lost in the story, you may have skipped a chapter. Also, I do not own the MOTU trademark or any of its delightful characters. Credit goes to Mattel for its imaginative action figures. Lady Amanda is a minor character briefly mentioned in the Filmation series of the 1980s, not my invention._

Gently, I bring my Sky Sled to the ground, surrounded by the gasping, surprised cheers of my crew. I lean forward and put my head down for a minute to catch my breath and clear my head. Randor steps away, and I can hear him talking to the others, checking to see if they're all right. Then it all becomes suddenly quiet. When I finally look up, there's a circle of archers around us, bows drawn, weapons pointed straight at us. And they're closing in.

Randor and the others put their hands up without saying anything. But I scan this ragtag group of woodsmen, hoping for a friendly welcome: half of them are women, and their leader is a very round woman dressed in expensive-looking gear. Her bow is one of a kind, hand-carved, bejeweled. The woman's face is partially hidden behind a helmet, but I recognize her style. It's Lady Amanda, of course, and this campsite where we've landed is on her property.

I take a step toward Amanda, lift off my goggles, and stretch out my arms as a sign of peace. "Lady Amanda, it is I, Queen Marlena. Some of our crew are injured, we need your assistance. Randor and I have just -"

"Stop right there, or we'll shoot. How do I know you're really the queen?" Amanda interrupts - suspicious, aloof, cold. I'm not even sure that she's on our side anymore. Or if she ever was. Out of the corner of my eye, I can tell that Randor is calculating how many archers he can take down single-handedly to give the rest of us time to escape.

"I - Amanda - please -"

"If you truly are Queen Marlena, what question did you ask me the last time we spoke? Only the queen would know that." Amanda takes off her helmet, and smirks at me triumphantly. Her hair is simply pinned back, her lovely oval face is flushed and fresh. It's the first time I've ever seen her without full make-up and an elaborate hairdo.

I balk at her suggestion. It was a few months ago when I spoke with her, but I remember perfectly well what I said to her then. "You don't want me to repeat that now in front of everyone, do you?" I ask.

"Of course I do," she answers in a superior tone. "I don't have any secrets, unlike some members of the royal family."

Now I recall why I've always disliked Amanda. So I straighten up and say, "At the banquet of the spring festival, I asked you how likely it was that your husband was the father of your unborn child." There's a collective gasp. Randor turns sharply and looks at me, scandalized. My eyes are locked onto Amanda's.

But the archers still don't stand down. Amanda smiles and continues, "And what was my response to that?"

I reply, "You said it was the same probability that Randor had fathered my children."

Immediately, Amanda gives a signal to her archers, and they lower their weapons. The noble lady bows profoundly to us and her team follows suit. "Welcome, Your Majesties," she says. "We are at war, and I had to be sure you were not impostors. Come, let us help you up to the house to treat your wounds and de-brief. Everything I have is at your disposal."

Three of the archers have already lifted Yankee out of the Wind Raider, and are heading across a wide lawn to a ridiculously pink rococo manor house - it stands at the edge of the forest like a monumental birthday cake. The flag pole on the roof sticks up like a birthday candle.

Amanda links one arm in mine and the other in Randor's uninjured arm, and she talks non-stop all the way up to the house. I guess we're besties now, after years of thinly veiled hostility. She tells me all the details of organizing the refugee camp on her land, how her house is now a hospital and community center, how the city of Eternos was evacuated just before another invasion wave destroyed it and the palace, how Teela and He-Man subsequently managed to destroy the invading army…

"Pardon me, Lady Amanda," interrupts Randor, "Is Adora here? And what is the news from the front?" He keeps his voice steady, but I can tell he's on edge, from both pain and anxiety.

"At last count, there were three fronts, Your Majesty," answers Amanda. "The northern front is being defended by the Ice Lord, King Boreas, and of course, Princess Janice and her dragons. The southern front is our weakest point, only lightly defended against the mer-creatures. At Grayskull, our people are holding the castle under siege, but they in turn are being besieged by the minions of Count Marzo. I just sent a medevac unit to them an hour ago…ah, here we are, triage is on the main level, but we can bypass that, I'll take you straight upstairs to see the healers." We enter the ornate home through the back door, a servants' entrance, into the kitchens. Various people start to approach Amanda, but she waves them all away.

Randor and I both notice the information that she omitted. He looks at me before firmly venturing, "Lady, Amanda, my dear, I must know where my daughter is."

We stop at the foot of the servants' staircase. Amanda turns toward Randor and bows her head. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I have no news of Adora. I sent the medevac to Grayskull for her. It has not yet returned."

Randor's instinct is to run back to the Sky Sled, and fly to Grayskull. But I block him before he can take a single step. "No. You're going to get that shoulder fixed, and then we'll go to Grayskull together," I tell him. My voice and my heart are blazing with fear and determination. We have a ten-second faceoff, then Randor lets me take his good arm to lead him upstairs. He knows I'm right.

Lady Amanda shows us to a small bedroom suite off the main upstairs hallway. I'm beginning to think that I've misjudged her all these years….or maybe not. It's not so easy to forgive someone like Amanda.

Randor winces and takes in his breath sharply as we settle him into a chair. He's been trying to cover up his level of pain this whole time. After making sure we have everything we need, Lady Amanda politely excuses herself so that she can summon a healer.

Alone with my husband, I remove his helmet and begin toweling off the thin layer of dust on his skin - gently. His arm is supported on a side table, and the lack of movement seems to be a relief to him.

Randor hesitates as if measuring his words carefully. "Marlena, my dear, we need Amanda's family on our side. We can't stir up - "

"I'm not stirring up anything!" I exclaim defensively. "You're the one who gave her a dishonorable discharge from the Royal Guard!"

"I had no choice! She got into a public brawl with the pregnant wife of a lieutenant! It was the only way to calm things down! She was our best archery instructor - I didn't want to dismiss her!" He keeps his voice low, but now Randor is the defensive one. This is a ridiculous debate.

"Take a deep breath, darling. You know as well as I do that drama follows Amanda everywhere. And you know as well as I do that this is really about the connection between our families." I arch an eyebrow, and Randor deflates, resigned, conceding the argument. "We will make sure that Amanda receives the recognition she deserves for her generosity here. I have no quarrel with her or her family." I kiss Randor on the cheek and whisper, "After all, I should be thanking her grandmother for all the tricks she taught you thirty years ago."

Just then, the healer enters the room and takes charge. Randor's dislocated shoulder pops back into place, and the primary wound on his upper arm is treated. Both of us are covered in dozens of smaller scratches and scrapes, but while the healers are busy with him, I seize the opportunity to sort through our backpacks - food in one, maps and strategic materials in a second, rappelling supplies in a third, explosives and weapons in another. I pull out the bottle of poison from Skeletor's lab, and wonder what to do with it. Gingerly opening the lid, I see that it has a brush attached inside. So I pull my miniature dagger out from my shirtsleeve and my hunting knife out from my boot, and coat both blades in a thin layer of the deadly solution. It dries quickly. Then I tuck my improved weapons back into their sheaths.

Resealing the bottle tightly, I hand it to a healer's assistant, and ask for it to be delivered to Amanda, for her archers. The assistant appears so taken aback when she realizes what it is, that, for a second, I'm afraid she'll drop it!

Even though Randor's arm still isn't 100% healed, he's itching to leave as soon as it gets wrapped up in gauze. So we slip back down the servants' staircase and out the rear door, toward our Sky Sled. I have one backpack loaded with all of our remaining explosives - everything else stays in camp - and we munch on a few rations as we move. Even though it's broad daylight, no one pays much attention to us - we look like a pair of grubby soldiers, and that suits us just fine.

Before we lift off, I ask my husband, "OK, General, what exactly is our mission? Retrieve the princess? Or is there something else?"

We both know there's something else.

"The Prophecies of the Elders," Randors begins, "Namely, the one that says justice will be restored in Eternia, and the Spirit of Grayskull will have its vengeance on its enemy."

"I guess we have a mission then," I say as we rise above the treetops on our Sky Sled. "Now we just need a plan." Randor chuckles softly and holds me tight.

As we fly, I wonder if we can shorten the trip, so I call out to Teela, hoping she'll open another portal for us. But none appears. After my second try, I hear her voice inside my head: _Go back to camp. Wait with Amanda._

That command only makes me more determined to get to Grayskull as quickly as possible. We leave the forest behind, fly past the smoking rubble of our once-beautiful city, through rich farmland and into the rolling hills beyond. We have to wind through a rocky maze before the wide stretch of the Barren Plain that leads to Grayskull. I don't want to increase altitude too much, because it's to our advantage to hide among the rocks and foothills.

Unfortunately, we're not the only ones using the terrain as cover. As we emerge from a narrow canyon, our Sky Sled is rammed violently on the side by a Roton that seemed to come out of nowhere. Randor and I are both thrown off.

Mid-air, I'm asking myself, _Is this an accident, or did they track us along the whole route?_

Then I smack down hard among the boulders, and I'm too dazed to pull out a weapon. I can hear some oofs and scuffling, but can't see much. Then there are boots right next to me, and a second pair of boots comes up from behind to attack the owner of the first boots. After another brief struggle, the second pair of boots collapses beside me, and I see that it's my husband who has fallen while defending me. The will to live awakens deep within me.

Someone or something leans over me, and starts to lift me up. While I'm in that awkward position that is neither up nor down, I pull the mini-dagger out of my sleeve and sink it into the hip of Whiplash, one of Skeletor's mutant warriors. He screeches and goes down in convulsions. I slip the bloody dagger right back in its sheath.

So I rush to Randor's side - he's slowly regaining consciousness. Red welts are striped across his face and neck - Whiplash must have been using his tail to strangle him. He's not in any shape to escape. And then two more pairs of boots are beside us. I'm yanked backwards with both of my arms clamped painfully in a pair of claws.

"Did you see that, Tri? First the big one tried to defend this boy, then the boy protected his father here. We should execute them before they cause more trouble. Who do you suppose they are, fighting like that?" The speaker is my captor, Clawful, another of Skeletor's mutants.

I watch helplessly as Tri-Klops hog-ties and gags Randor. Tri-Klops is definitely the most intelligent of Skeletor's men - it will be difficult to outsmart him. He takes his time before responding to Clawful, "Eternia only has a few specimens like this man. I suspect," he says thoughtfully, lifting one of Randor's eyelids and doing some type of iris scan, "that Skeletor will want us to bring back King Randor alive."

"King?" says a surprised Clawful, who tightens his grip on me.

Standing up, Tri-Klops then inspects me. I try not to react as Tri-Klops sticks his hand between my legs and starts rubbing my crotch. "And this," he continues, "Is certainly not a boy, but the one lady whom Randor would gladly defend with his life. Good day, milady."

He's still fingering my crotch. So I spit in his face and knee him in the groin with everything I've got. Doubled over in pain, Tri-Klops balls up a fist. He returns to his full height, and his fist slams down on my helmet. I hear a ringing sound, and then everything goes black.

 _Just a few more chapters, and the story will be complete...patience, dear readers!_


	22. Chapter 22

_Author's note: Rated M for mature content. Do not read if you are under 18. I do not own any of the characters in this chapter._

We're walking on the beach at Rakashma, hand in hand. The sun is warm on our skin, the salt air fills our lungs. All I can hear is the whooshing of the waves hitting the shore at our feet. On a dry patch of sand, I take off my sarong and spread it out like a blanket. Randor takes off his caftan and lies down beside me, whispering about our love, our happiness, our future together...there's nowhere else in the universe I'd rather be...

Too bad I'm not really there.

Gradually I become aware of a splitting headache and the sound of a motor. My hands and feet are tied, but I'm not gagged. I open my eyes just a sliver, and see that I'm sort of half-slumped on top of my husband on the floor of a Roton. I wiggle my wrists and ankles a little: I can still feel my weapons hidden inside my sleeve and boot, but my arm cannons are gone. I still have my backpack with fourteen leftover bombs and a Pandora's Box, but of course, I can't reach inside. I open my eyes a little more and look around: Clawful and Tri-Klops are piloting the vehicle with their backs to us. And there's another prisoner down here with us: bloodied and beaten, tied and gagged but looking like he wants to scream, is Randor's nephew and former secretary, Dal. Under his head, like a pillow, is a satchel of papers, undoubtedly the same papers that were missing from Randor's study. I'll bet he regrets working for Skeletor now.

There are a half-dozen other bags of various sizes around the Roton. A few of them look familiar, and I wonder if they were taken from the ruins of our palace.

I glance up at Tri-Klops and Clawful, trying to calculate the likelihood of various scenarios that could end well for us - or very, very badly. Even if I could get my hands free, I wouldn't be able to overpower either of them physically. Clawful's shell has several joints where I might be able to stab him, but success would be improbable. Tri-Klops, a cyborg, wears armor over most of his body and head...but I see one soft spot: under his chin and the very top of his neck. One nick with a poisoned knife on his chin, and he'd be vanquished. But he knows that I'm a fighter, so he'll be on his guard...how could I get close enough? How would I even have a chance?

Randor's eyes meet mine. We understand that we're being taken to Skeletor. _This is it_.

I notice my husband's arm twitching slightly, and so I slowly, silently maneuver myself to see what the problem is. I almost burst out laughing: he's got a small, sharp rock that he's using to wear down the ropes that bind him! I move back and play it cool. It's best not to attract attention at this point.

After a while, the Roton slows down, and Tri-Klops turns around to address us: "Good, you're awake now. If any of you make trouble, you'll all suffer for it. Understand? Good. Now, we're approaching Grayskull, but we can't get past the barricade, unless we show our enemy that we've got you. You're our ticket for safe passage, see? So get up, both of you -" He grabs Randor roughly, forcing him to his knees. The Roton pauses, and Clawful reaches for me. It's easier for me to move, because I'm not hog-tied, my arms are tied separately from my legs. The high afternoon sun illuminates the scene: Castle Grayskull a hundred yards ahead, the great chasm that surrounds it, and a huge shimmering emerald bubble standing between the chasm and an army of goblins. Pacing in front of the bubble, protecting it, is the champion He-Man, my beloved son, and his tiger, Battle-Cat.

Tri-Klops flips a switch, and his voice booms out across the Barren Plain: "You will allow us to pass through to the Master of Grayskull, the mighty Skeletor. If you attempt to harm us, you will guarantee the immediate death of our prisoners, your former king and queen." Shoving a communicator in front of my face, he says to me, "Say something."

Instinctively, I scream, " **WE WILL FIGHT TO THE END - BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL! FREEDOM! TRUTH! HONOR! ETERNIA! ETERN** -" Tri-Klops pushes me down, and kicks me hard for good measure. Randor falls back on top of me. We've been tossed aside like a pair of worthless puppets.

"That's enough," the cyborg grumbles, returning his attention to flying the Roton into the castle - unchallenged.

Just then, I hear a fluttering of wings, and the falcon Zoar lands on the edge of the Roton. She gazes down at us briefly, but within a second, Clawful snaps at her, and she flies away. Not very helpful.

The Jaw-Bridge opens just enough to admit us, and we land right inside. The first thing I notice is the stench of rotten meat. Then Tri-Klops and Clawful unload us three prisoners, dumping us on the floor. They ignore the rest of the baggage, because their priority is to report to Skeletor.

I glance around the torchlit hall. Castle Grayskull looks different inside than the last time I was here with Teela - was that really just yesterday morning? The main throne room is open as always, but there are no passages leading off from it. The spiral staircase leading deep below is sealed off by stone as if it never existed. A smooth stone wall stands in place of the hallway where Teela went to see her destiny. No balcony where the Sorceress' bedroom used to be. Only a single, large chamber with a high ceiling - and a green mist hovering at the top of that ceiling, waiting...for something. This castle isn't the longed-for trophy of which Skeletor dreamed - it's a stone prison.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Skeletor's whiny, nasal voice cuts through the tension. I've always hated the sound. But now I begin to pity him, locked away here, friendless.

Tri-Klops advances and genuflects with a bowed head before his master. "My Lord, we stopped to pick up several prizes that you may find useful." He gestures toward us. "As instructed, we collected your informant at the designated location. He brought a bundle of classified documents for your benefit. Then, on a routine scan, we tracked a couple heading toward the mountains from the palace - couriers from the royal family. We neutralized them and removed their parcels, which turned out to be the royal jewels - we have them here." Skeletor cries out in glee, rubbing his hands together greedily. My heart sinks - it means that my maid Sasha and her boyfriend from the guard are both dead. "But the real treasure is the couple we intercepted on the way back - they put up a fight, but I think you'll appreciate the fruit of our efforts - " At these words, Skeletor approaches, peering closely at us. The rotten smell grows stronger, and I start to gag.

 _I hate this place. I hate Skeletor. I hate the Spirit of Grayskull. If only there was a way to get rid of it all..._

"Enough!" Skeletor slashes one of his clawed blue hands to silence everyone. "Can it be? My brother, the royal boob?" He laughs - a high-pitched cackle. "O glorious day! I shall enjoy this - and -" He ogles me up and down, "- ah, yes, the inseparable concubine - I hardly know which of you to torture first! How far away you are from your pampered life! All your foolish schemes and military maneuvers have failed you, and no one will storm the castle to save you now, ha, ha! Even your own nephew has betrayed you!"

The sorcerer taunts us, but I already wonder how much he's hiding. A quick inventory reveals no Havoc Staff or other magical amplifier. He's walking with a limp. And there are noticeable dark spots spreading across exposed parts of his skin - necrosis. He's losing his magical ability, and Grayskull doesn't seem to be sharing any power with him. And Snake Mountain has been destroyed, so he can't go back. He's trapped while his power drains away.

"Actually, Skeletor, everything is going according to plan on my end," I cheerfully pronounce. Skeletor can't read minds, or else he would surely call my bluff right now. I back up against the Roton, and find one of the external metal rotors to rub my ropes against.

Angrily, Skeletor raises a hand to strike me, but instead he turns to Dal. "The bastard son of my bastard brother. You are of no use to me now." Then to Clawful he says, "Kill the boy. Make it painful."

Clawful immediately stabs Dal in the gut with one of his pincers, leaving a large, jagged wound. Dal splutters, moans and squirms in intense pain as the pool of blood around him expands. Skeletor relishes my shocked expression and Randor's smothered cry. We loved this young man, just two years older than our own son. We had promised Randor's half-brother Stephen that we would treat his love-child like one of own, educating him and training him for an honorable career. Now he's gone. I stifle a sob, but I can't stop tears from flowing.

Skeletor just laughs and laughs. But he's all talk, isn't he? He hasn't used any magic since we got here. I'm smart enough to keep my mouth shut. I have to wait for the right opportunity to act.

And then opportunity suddenly knocks: in a split second, Randor snaps through the ropes that bind him, jumps up, grabs Clawful from behind, and twists his neck back until there's an audible crunch. He uses Clawful's body as a shield while Tri-Klops shoots energy bolts at him and Skeletor starts sending all kinds of spells and electrical surges at him. He can't dodge everything. I know that my husband wants me to make a run for it, but I won't leave him. Not when it's two against two: an even fight.

I work furiously at my ropes as Tri-Klops inches his way back toward me. I just manage to break the rope around my hands and pull off the rope around my feet when he grabs me around the shoulders, using me as his shield. As I struggle against him, my backpack slips off my shoulders to the ground. The cyborg kicks away Clawful's body and punches Randor's head with his free arm, knocking him over. I'm forced to watch up close while my husband is kicked and pummeled by Tri-Klops, burned and electrocuted by Skeletor. Decades of rage are unleashed on my beloved. His face is smashed, bones broken up and down his body. Blood seeps through the gag still covering the lower half of his face.

But with everyone's attention diverted, I gather my wits and reach into my sleeve for the hidden dagger. I pretend I'm fainting for a second, then I twist to angle myself so that the dagger goes straight up into the soft underside of Tri-Klops' chin, pushing it as hard and as deep as it will go. He hits me and violently pushes me down, but then he goes down, too, shaking uncontrollably with the dagger sticking out of him. The poison does its work. I get up again and step away from him. Randor is unconscious. So now it's just me and Skeletor.

It's time for some serious posing. The one thing I've got going for me now is my brains. I wouldn't win a direct assault - I need to distract and weaken Skeletor first.

Impatiently, I ask, "Are you done yet, Skeletor? Because we both know that I'm the one you want." Meanwhile, in my head, I'm counting all the weapons available to me: the knife in my boot. The bombs, spare arm cannon and Pandora's Box in my pack (which is open just enough to stick a hand inside, but not enough to see what's inside). The blaster still in Tri-Klops' hand. Across the room is Skeletor's portable coridite reactor, obviously a rip-off of ours. I can use bodies and the Roton as cover. And above me is the misty green Spirit of Grayskull, still waiting...waiting for what? What is the point of being a magical, mystical ghost if you're just going to float around uselessly?

An epiphany: _the spirit is waiting for me to make my big move._ Carpe diem.

"Yes, Skeletor, son of Miro," I continue. "You want me. Because of the Prophecies of the Elders. I know your father taught you well, now say it with me: 'The champion and the goddess shall be joined as one and restore harmony to the land.' Well? Obviously, you're the champion, and surely you recognize me…." I lift up my arms toward the ceiling thinking, _This had better work. Spirit of Grayskull, I need your help._

"What are you playing at, minx?" screeches the sorcerer. He's skeptical, but he wants to believe it. I need to give him some kind of evidence that I'm not bullshitting, even though I am definitely bullshitting.

"I am the GODDESS OF ETERNIA!" I exclaim with brilliant green flashes like fireworks all around me. When the lights fade, I'm dressed in a sparkling golden ballgown, I have wavy ginger hair dancing down to my shoulders, a heavy crown weighing upon my head. I assume my face is done up like a goddess, too. The Spirit of Grayskull is improvising nicely for me. I take a step toward Skeletor, who is now thoroughly flummoxed, and I can feel my trusty combat boots on my feet with the sheathed knife tucked inside.

"Is this a trick?" shouts Skeletor. I note to myself that he still hasn't attacked me. _He is losing his powers, I just need to seal the deal and get Randor to safety._

"No tricks. You and I are meant to rule Eternia together, it is our destiny. Join with me, and I shall restore your strength - do you need more proof that I speak the truth? Here - " I wave one arm as a blessing, and the necrosis fades from his skin. The Spirit of Grayskull is really coming through for me, and making this a convincing act. I'm starting to regret telling the spirit to go fuck itself. "- and here - I kneel before you, my lord." I get down on one knee - my right knee - with my left knee still up, and my right hand drifts toward my left boot, where the knife is. But Skeletor looks down at me suspiciously, and he seems to be debating with himself whether or not he ought to murder me on the spot.

"You will serve me?" he asks.

"Yes, my lord."

"Prove it."

For me, the only way now is forward. So I explain to him, "If you wish to have your revenge on the family that rejected you, then we should show that pile of meat - " I nod toward Randor, " - that you and I will be permanently, physically connected." And just to make myself perfectly clear, I lick my lips while looking at Skeletor's groin. Randor seems to have regained some level of consciousness, because there is a distinct whimpering that sounds like "no, no" coming from him. It pierces my heart, but I don't reveal that.

As if in slow motion, Skeletor pulls down his furry trunks, uncovering a big, slimy purple phallus that stinks like last week's trash.

I act like it's the most delicious thing I've seen in my life.

I tenderly stroke him with my left hand and lean forward with my tongue outstretched. I have to fill my mind with something else so that I don't choke on this disgusting thing. He is, in fact, a decaying corpse kept alive only by magic. And that's exactly what he tastes like.

"Oh, Skeletor, my lord," I sigh in fake ecstasy. "The prophecy is now fulfilled, the power is yours…" As I take his whole penis in my mouth and slide up and down, I realize that time is running out. Soon he'll know that this is a ruse, and he'll kill me. I glance up and see that he is absorbed in his own pleasure.

My right hand is on the toe of my left boot, it moves up the boot very, very slowly while I continue to give pleasure to Skeletor. My fingers reach the top of the boot, I can feel the hilt of my hunting knife. It's now or never. My left hand cups his testicles, and I gingerly, teasingly pull my mouth off him. Then, in one swift motion, I pull out the knife with my right hand, and slice it upward through the base of the testicles and penis. The force of the castration causes the knife to go flying out of my unsteady hand. Skeletor arches back and screams, high-pitched and shocked.

Blood oozes out of him, clotted and black. I scuttle backward, crab-like, afraid to take my eyes off him. My head bumps the side of the Roton, and my left hand touches the fabric of the backpack. The poisoned knife only weakened the sorcerer: he lives by magic, and so must die by magic. He tries to attack me, but his waves of lightning are reduced to mild static shocks now, so in exasperation he puts his hands around my throat to strangle me.

"You think you are stronger than I?" he taunts. "I, the Lord of Grayskull? I will take everything that is rightfully mine, everything that you and your children usurped, and I will defile everything that you hold dear."

There's an odd thing that I've never understood about Skeletor: he gets so focused on the sound of his own voice that he fails to notice everything else going to hell around him. It's his fatal flaw.

During his little soliloquy, my left hand finds the Pandora's Box inside the backpack. Triumphantly, I bring it out and expunge upon my would-be murderer all of the magical energy inside it. He's instantly fried extra-crispy.

It's over. The castle is silent. _What do I do now?_

My first reaction is to vomit up every last drop of bile in my body. Even then, the taste of death lingers in my mouth.

Then I hurry to Randor's side, kneeling down. He's breathing, but needs immediate medical attention: deep cuts and welts, a broken leg and nose, damage to his face and I'm not sure what else. There's nothing here in the hall, just some dead bodies, a reactor….and one vehicle. I can't lift him into the Roton on my own. Looking up, I desperately shout, "Spirit! Help me save my husband!"

I tug at Randor's body without much success, but then he slowly begins to levitate up and into the Roton, gently resting on the floor inside. I toss my backpack in behind him, ready to escape - I hate this fucking castle, absolutely hate it, I always have. I wish I could wipe Castle Grayskull off the face of the planet.

I pause.

It just dawned on me that the Spirit of Grayskull might want to get the hell out of here, too. Probably even more than I do. And there's only one way out for a spirit.

So I grab my backpack again, and pull out one of my plasticized coridite bombs. "Is this what you want?" I ask. "Was this your will all along?"

In response, the remaining thirteen bombs all float out of my pack, followed by detonators, which gracefully attach themselves to each plastic as they pass through the air to every single weight-bearing point of the hall's structure. I take the bomb in my hand and stick it to Skeletor's coridite reactor before boarding the Roton.

"Thank you," I say, with tears stinging my eyes. The Spirit of Grayskull had been helping me this whole time, and I fought against it. The Spirit's goals were to bring peace to Eternia...and to be reunited with its ancestors, including the first Grayskull, my dear, dear friend Ace. "I understand now, and I will tell your tale to my children and grandchildren," I call out.

Then with a smirk, I add, "But one more thing - I going to need a white flag or else I'll get shot down - I wouldn't ask, but there's no white fabric here for me to use."

A pole with an enormous white flag, at least double the standard size for flags, suddenly appears, welded to the side of the vehicle.

"Thank you, Spirit. Tell your father that I never forgot him, that I have no regrets. His memory will be a blessing for eternity." With that, the Jaw-Bridge falls open and I fly out across the abyss. I head straight for the emerald bubble.

My son is the first to see us - he waves and points us to the bubble. As we pass through to the interior, he runs along beside us. "Mother!" he shouts. "Are you all right? And Father - ?"

Landing the vehicle quickly, I answer, "Your father is injured. Are we safe from explosions inside this bubble? Big explosions? Quakes?"

Teela approaches, pushing through the gathering crowd of soldiers. "Yes, we're safe here. Nothing can harm us."

Without another word, I hold up my hand with the remote, and press the button. The bubble somewhat muffles the sound of the fourteen explosions, but the ground trembles beneath us, and there's a very unsettling reverberation of rocks cracking, thundering below. Through the bubble, we have a blurry vision of Castle Grayskull crumbling into the great chasm, and a howling on the other side reveals the goblin army being swallowed up by newborn fissures in the Barren Plain. Totally satisfying to witness.

We are left on a quivering island of stone, protected by our warrior goddess.

Everyone stares at me. I guess it's understandable: I'm standing here without armor in a bloodstained ballgown, and I just blew up the castle they were besieging, plus I took out the entire goblin army with Count Marzo in one shot. But I have bigger worries.

"Randor needs help - get a stretcher over here stat!" I command. "Teela, can you help him?" I lean over my husband to check his vitals.

Teela reaches out a hand in Randor's direction and closes her eyes for a few seconds. Then she calmly opens them. "He has a long road to recovery, but he will live." I kiss his forehead, trying to hide my grateful tears from everyone else. I can taste his blood on my lips.

Randor's eyelids flicker open a little. Relieved, I say to him, "Mission accomplished, darling."

He smiles.

 _Author's note: Oh, yes I did._


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's note: Rated M again. Readers must be over age 18._

It's super-convenient to have a goddess for a daughter-in-law: Teela successfully transports the remnants of our army back to the refugee camp, and Randor is immediately bustled up to triage.

People are dispatched in every direction as the army is re-organized and assigned new duties, while I search through the crowd for my daughter.

"She's upstairs in the house," says Lady Amanda, running up to me. "Come quickly! The medevac was ambushed by goblins, but we took them down with our arrowheads coated in that Zahar stuff - thanks for that. What on Eternia are you wearing? Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not. I need liquor," I answer, thinking of everything I've seen and done today, "A lot of liquor. And clean clothes."

"Liquor? What? What happened to you?" asks Amanda in confusion. "But Adora is -" Amanda studies my face, and her cold facade relents. "Come on," she says softly, taking my hand. "I'll help you."

She whisks me away into the house, up to her own bedroom suite. She hands me a bottle of fine aged liquor and some towels. I gargle and spit out the first three mouthfuls of alcohol, then I drink two tall glasses straight down.

As I'm chugging, Amanda approaches with some clean clothes. "Milady, you need to change quickly so that we can go to Adora - she's still laboring. No more to drink - you need a clear head." And she pries the bottle from my hand.

I wash my face and neck and arms, asking, "How is she? Is she strong?"

"Yes, strong as always, Milady, but - but - your son-in-law Sea Hawk has died."

"WHAT?" I cry out. Adora is alone!

"Yes. He couldn't be saved. He took a direct hit to the head. Adora was devastated, and that's when the labor pains got worse. Much worse."

I'm already washed and dressed and moving toward the door. "Take me to her! I need to see her!"

But I don't really need a guide to my daughter - I just follow the sound of a woman crying out in the pangs of childbirth. I find her with the midwives in a clean, comfortable room on the top floor. The last rays of sunset light up the scene.

"Is the baby crowning?" I ask. Kneeling at the end of the bed, I immediately see the problem: the baby somehow turned since I last saw Adora, and is now breech. "Why the hell is my daughter on her back? Get her into a more productive position - now!" The midwives, who ignored my entry, look at me in surprise. But they still don't do as I ordered. _Do I have to do everything myself?_

Adora is panting heavily, and looking pissed off. I grab some clean towels. Wiping the sweat off her brow, I kiss her tenderly and whisper to her, "Come, darling, let me help you. We'll use gravity to get this baby out - three or four good pushes should do it." I guide her into an upright squatting position and start massaging her shoulders, neck and face. "Adora, darling, it's very important to relax and breathe deeply in between pushes, otherwise you're using up your energy needlessly." I reach down and feel her belly start to tighten. "Push... _ **now**_!"

With midwives supporting her on either side, Adora pushes down forcefully with a warrior's yell. Part of the baby's body emerges, and the contraction ends. I support the body gently with a towel covering my hand, and instruct my daughter, "Now just relax every muscle and take slow, deep breaths. Two more contractions is all we need."

The only sound in the room is Adora's inhaling and exhaling. When her belly tightens again, I say, "Go! Get her shoulders out now!" Again Adora radiates strength, and my grandchild continues to move steadily into the world - but when the contraction ends, her head is stuck. Yes, _her_! A granddaughter!

"One more push, Adora!" I call out. "It's just her head now. She's safe, I'm holding her from underneath, just one more push, darling! You can do it!" This is the most dangerous point. The child could die from lack of oxygen, or be permanently disabled. But I won't reveal my fear to my daughter.

Finally, another contraction begins, and Adora uses all her remaining strength to deliver her baby. The head comes out, and I have a silent, bluish infant in my hands. My heart almost stops. Memories of my own infants born dead seize me. I hand her over to the midwives for resuscitation, and focus my attention on my daughter.

"You were brilliant, Adora, absolutely brilliant, they're just cleaning her up a bit, you'll have a nice cozy snuggle with her in a minute, you still need to deliver the placenta, let's get you settled in…" I'm trying to think of things to say to distract her from her baby's condition, while getting her back into bed. Adora's knees are trembling, she can barely stand.

But Adora is a fighter - in fact, that's her best quality. "I want my baby! **_Are you drunk?_** You reek of liquor! Why won't you let me see my baby? Give her to me! **NOW!** "

Just then the baby cries - I feel overwhelming relief. So I fight back, "No, you listen to me: Get into that bed, open your shirt, and you'll get your baby." Reluctantly, my daughter obeys, but she shoots me a look of utter contempt.

I take the crying infant from the midwife, thanking her profusely under my breath, and shove the baby's open mouth onto Adora's exposed breast. My daughter yelps in surprise and pain at first, but after a minute everyone is happy and starting to calm down. The baby's sucking triggers a contraction that expels the placenta, and I'm beginning to feel like everything is going to be OK.

We spend a poignant hour together, admiring the beautiful child who resembles her mother so much, weeping for the father she'll never know, sharing our stories of this momentous day. Suddenly, Adora asks with an amused grin, "Have you noticed what you're wearing, Mother?"

I look down at my clothes for the first time since putting them on: matching yellow hot pants and a tight shirt that ends just above my navel. "Fucking Amanda," I grumble. I need a cardigan or a wrap or something to wear on top of this...this underwear.

"Here I am, ladies," says Amanda cheerfully as she enters the room.

Adora laughs through her tears. "You played dress-up with my mother?"

Amanda just shrugs - she doesn't see anything wrong with my outfit. "The clothes are clean, and they're the right size for her," she says matter-of-factly. "Milady, I came to tell you that the king is awake and asking for you now. He's in the ICU down on the main floor. I can stay with Adora for a while, plus Teela and Adam want to visit, too." She sits on the edge of the bed, ready for some girl talk with Adora.

"Go on, Mother," says Adora. "Give Father my love." I can already see that her inner strength will see her through her present situation. I kiss her and my granddaughter.

"Can I tell your father what his grandchild's name is?" I ask.

"Mira Sea Hawk," she answers. The name moves me deeply. Mira was Randor's sister who died young, also the name of one of our stillborn children. I brush away a tear on my cheek. Adora adds, "Sorry it's not Marlena, but Adam wants to save your name for his first daughter."

"Randor will be pleased, darling." Turning to Amanda, I say, "Your kindness will not be forgotten. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But I'm a bit chilly - could I take a sweater from your room on my way down?"

Something about the look in Amanda's eye reveals that she very much enjoyed setting me up in this ridiculous outfit.

So I raid Amanda's enormous, professionally organized closet, selecting a warm, modest tunic sweater over my hot pants and belly shirt, and freshen up. I brace myself for visiting the ICU. I'm really not sure what condition my husband will be in.

But as soon as I enter the ward, my fears dissipate, my heart is flooded with affection for Randor - he turns his gaze toward me, as if thirsty for the sight of me. His eyes are not quite swollen shut. Before the healers can say anything, I'm covering his lumpy, blotchy, stitched-up face with tender kisses, and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear.

A hoarse voice says, "Hey, can we have some kisses, too?" There's a chorus of raspy laughter. I look up: there are six beds and two makeshift cots in this all-male ICU. So I go around and kiss the forehead of every patient with a kind word for each. They're all bandaged up, one is missing an arm, another an eye, two of them are wearing neck braces. As I kneel down to one of the cots, I'm surprised to see Mike from our Operation Squirrel team. Answering my facial expression, he says, "Snake bite and concussion. They're just watching me overnight to be on the safe side." He appears to be the same age as my son. I hug him.

Returning to the healers, who have been patiently waiting at Randor's bedside, I receive a full report on his injuries and treatment. "He can't talk because of his broken jaw. We've stitched up the wounds and applied all the standard spells to set his bones, but he needs to mend some more overnight before we begin to repair his teeth and reconstruct his face." They show me his sedative and painkiller, and then leave us.

I sit on the edge of his bed, and we just look at each other. Randor reaches up with his good arm and touches my cheek. He scribbles something on a notepad and holds it up: "You're a goddess?"

It takes me a second before I realize what he trying to say. I grin. "No, darling, that was all a ruse to distract the enemy. Luckily for us, it worked."

Randor appears surprised, then he writes: "How?"

"The Spirit of Grayskull - your ancestor - helped us. Yes, really. Yes, I know the Spirit. I promise I'll tell you everything on another day, darling, but right now, we both need rest. One hour of sleep in thirty-six hours! Here, your meds - no! No more conversation!" I can see that he has a thousand questions, but he knows I'm right. We've hardly slept since the night of our anniversary party. Randor pats the bed beside him, indicating that he wants me to spend the night here. It's a skinny twin bed, but there's nowhere else I'd rather rest tonight. What a day - there's a glow of a bonfire outside under the darkened sky. So I turn down the lights, make sure everyone in the room has a cup of water and pillows adjusted just right, then I slip under the covers next to Randor. Sleep comes quickly and dreamlessly.

I wake up with my heart pounding, and I don't know why. At first, I can't remember where I am, but Randor's arm and his steady breathing reassure me. There's a faint gray light coming in around the edges of the curtain - it's early morning. There must have been healers entering and exiting all night, but I didn't hear a thing. I lift my head slightly, and see the rows of sleeping patients, and my own husband blinking his eyes at me. Somehow he got himself into a spooning position, and he gently hugs me a little closer from behind. He's definitely on the road to recovery, because he starts rubbing his pelvis on my backside. I almost laugh out loud.

Another quick glance around the room reveals that we're still the only ones awake. I decide to throw caution to the wind. After all, isn't that the lesson of yesterday's adventures? We're still under the covers anyway, so we wouldn't be putting on a show. I pull down my pants and wiggle my bare bottom against him - Randor accepts the invitation in silence, without even changing our positions. He raises two fingers to my lips, and I lick them. The moistened fingers move down between my legs in the front while he sinks into me from behind. His movements are slow, stealthy, comforting. I hold myself motionless and control my breathing so as not to make any sound - the transformation is entirely within me.

In my mind, I travel back twenty years, when I was the one quarantined in an ICU, recovering from multiple injuries. Love blossomed there where it was least expected, and one night Randor smuggled me out to the Royal Gardens, and we professed our mutual love. After that night, his visits to me in quarantine took on an erotic tone...just like this moment now.

Randor's strokes are so tender, so gentle, and yet filled with meaning and power. I don't even know how long we're rocking together in slow motion, but suddenly I hold my breath and stiffen my whole body as my climax takes hold. His breathing becomes jagged for a minute while he also finds his release. We lie quietly together for a few minutes before I pull up my pants and get the day started.

Our romantic interlude was exhausting for him. I give him a painkiller, and help him get comfortable again. I whisper softly to him about our granddaughter, about our children, and he nods as if telling me to go. I kiss his forehead, breathing the words, "Just like old times, darling," and slip out of the ICU.

Quickly I wash up in the bathroom, make myself presentable and head upstairs to visit Adora. A charming sight meets my eyes that I dare not disturb: Adam's tiger Cringer is stretched out beside Adora in the bed, and on her other side the rosy-cheeked baby is in the adjacent bassinet - and they're all slumbering peacefully. Orko is snoozing on an ottoman, Ram-Man is out cold on an armchair, and Mek-a-neck is asleep with a pillow on the floor. It seems that everyone is committed to making sure that Adora and Mira are cherished. My stomach grumbles loudly, so I step back out and shut the door.

From the kitchen I follow a pair of cooks hauling a giant pot of porridge outside across the camp. Most of the tents are standard military-issue, arranged in neat rows. Occasionally I spot an extra-large tent or a one-person tent...and strategically placed on an interior row leading straight down to the main campfire, I see the familiar, battered, very small tent belonging to our Man-At-Arms, General Duncan. He's had that same tent for as long as I've been on Eternia - it's covered in patches and just slightly bigger than a coffin. The tent, like most of the others, is totally quiet and still. But there's something different: right at the entrance to the tent is the mud-spattered, feathery costume of the Sorceress of Grayskull. She's here.

There's already a line for the porridge, so I join the queue and look around. No one pays attention to me, and I enjoy the anonymity. The center of activity is around a large fire ring, in which lie the remains of the monstrous snake skull: charred bones and fangs. There must have been a very large bonfire here last night, and most of the adults around me appear to be hung over. I didn't hear a thing - I was asleep for at least 11 or 12 hours straight!

I settle down with my porridge next to a young woman whose leg is casted - it's Yankee from my Operation Squirrel team. I get the scoop from her about everything I missed at camp - a huge party around the campfire last night with music, dancing, even an appearance by Adora and little Mira - and she in turn asks as politely and indirectly as possible what the fuck I did to bring about the sudden victory. Now that I think about it, I haven't really told anyone what happened at Grayskull. I guess I should talk to Adam about it first.

So I change the subject. "You know, darling, I don't even know your real name," I say to Yankee. "Tell me about your home and family. How did you become a guard?"

An odd look flashes across her face as she answers, "My name is Na'Lani. For 100 generations, my family has served the royal family."

"Your name," I say softly in pure shock, "It's from...it's…"

"You know the name?" she smiles. "The mother of King D'Vann Grayskull. She had five sons. My father is descended from the youngest, in fact, they have the same name, Dakota…"

My old boyfriend Ace was from South Dakota - he named his fifth son after his home state. "What - how…?" I don't even know what to start asking. "How many Eternians know this bit of history?"

"Only a handful, Marlena. Fewer with each generation. Some learn it as a myth, nothing more. My own brother says it's all garbage. But you know the truth...and so do I."

I have so much more I want to ask, but my attention is diverted by the sound of booming laughter as a clean-shaven man stumbles into the clearing and gets in line for porridge with a few other soldiers. The man is tall and broad, like a brick wall, dressed in standard-issue fatigues and wearing a wool blanket like a cape. His face is relaxed, and he exudes pure joy to such an extent that I don't recognize him at first.

With shock, I realize it's our Man-At-Arms, General Duncan. I've never, ever seen him like this: happy.

Duncan gets two bowls of porridge and glances around as a tall, slender woman dressed in an elegant, silvery-blue activewear ensemble (which definitely came out of Amanda's closet, it looks very expensive) approaches the fire and dumps a bundle onto the flames. The bundle is nothing other than the falcon headdress and costume formerly worn by the Sorceress of Grayskull. The red-haired woman points a finger at it, and several feathers catch fire.

"Isn't that -?" asks my new buddy Na'Lani.

"Yes, it certainly is," I answer.

The Sorceress - or I guess she's just Teela-Na now - glances up at the sound of my voice and flashes a brilliant, winning smile at me. I do NOT return her feelings of goodwill.

She quickly turns away, and sits with Duncan to eat her porridge. He wraps them both in his blanket-cape, and they exchange many loving looks, transported into their own world. Who knew that porridge could be so romantic?

People stare at them more and more as they recognize them. Their body language leaves no doubt that they are in fact lovers. Duncan eventually finishes his breakfast, and sees that all eyes are on him and Teela-Na. At that exact moment, Teela and Adam enter the clearing - they can't seem to keep their hands off each other, but Teela freezes when she spots her parents canoodling.

Duncan stands up and nods to Adam and Teela, then clears his throat. "Good morning, Eternians, I have an announcement to make. Twenty-one years ago, I married this woman, Teela-Na, the Sorceress of Grayskull, in secret. King Randor officiated at our wedding. Princess Teela -"

"I prefer Colonel Teela, thank you," my daughter-in-law interrupts, scowling. Apparently she had another field promotion.

"Yes, yes, as I was saying, Colonel Teela is our daughter, born just over a year after our marriage. My wife and I have always lived separately in the interest of state security, but we are together now - "

"And we always will be," Teela-Na chimes in.

"And we thank you for respecting our privacy. That is all," he concludes. He sits back down with his wife.

There's a quiet moment while everyone takes in this information...then a smattering of applause that spreads and grows into loud cheers and demands for a second wedding for the happy couple. Even Teela begins to smile. Na'Lani whispers in my ear, "They weren't at the bonfire last night - no need for a honeymoon." She winks at me.

Then Adam steps forward, calling out in a commanding tone, "Now for my announcements, which are many, so heed my words!"

Teela taps her cobra staff on the ground, which causes a trembling throughout the campground. " **ATTENTION!** " she calls out in a magically magnified voice. Deep down, I know she enjoyed that.

Adam continues, "First, I need two hundred volunteers - experienced veterans only - to advance with me and my bride to the Sea of Rakash, where we will face the merpeople who are laying waste to the land. No, no," he says in response to some murmuring, "It won't be like the battle with the goblins. I expect we'll have the peace treaty signed within 48 hours. We'll rendezvous with the Ice Lord and Princess Janice there, and the merfolk will surely fold when they see the dragons from the Northern Lands. Our treasurer Count Kas has already drafted a treaty for us, so we just need an armed escort to keep the peace. We will depart after the noon meal, so come wish our volunteers a good journey. That's the southern front. The northern front is already at peace - as of last night - thanks to our allies Princess Janice and the Ice Lord. The goblins have not yet sent any envoys to make peace - I suspect there's quite a bit of turmoil among what's left of their ranks. We'll negotiate with them when that dust settles. As for our dust, we thank our gracious hostess Lady Amanda for her generosity, and many other nobles have offered their estates to settle refugees. Count Kas will escort fifty to Lady Edwina's manor to the west, and Count Anjou's daughters will welcome another fifty at their home to the southeast. Lady Amanda will only accept families with very young children or those with physical disabilities as permanent residents here on her estate. We will announce new openings every day, and our intention is to rebuild our cities and towns around these estates. I must request patience with one another as we make these transitions, and respect for our hostess. Last night, there were some problems here at camp, which I resolved peacefully -"

Impatiently, Teela taps her staff again, causing another mini-quake. She exclaims angrily, "A true warrior protects the innocent and vulnerable! Anyone who attempts to harm another in ANY way will answer to me! If you fear that you are in danger, come to me, and I will personally ensure your safety. We Eternians are at a crossorads, and it is up to us to choose our path. Who will join me on the path of justice? Who will join me in protecting the innocent?"

The soldiers around the campfire all clap and cheer, and then the civilians join in, too. Adam clears his throat, and the voices die down a bit. He flashes his lopsided grin and continues, "So we are all in agreement about personal conduct. Let us be at peace in our hearts, in our homes and in our community. We must work together to harvest and control the food supply for the coming winter, and to scavenge for any medical supplies left behind in our ruined towns - and I mean everyone of all ages and abilities - all hands are needed. In other news, I received word that the Dark Hemisphere of Eternia is no longer dark - the veil of evil has been lifted. I see my beloved mother is here, so I greet her in peace -" he comes over, leans down and kisses each of my cheeks as I'm still sitting on the ground with my empty bowl "- and let us all thank our most gracious Queen Marlena for destroying Snake Mountain and the evil spirit that dwelled within, for vanquishing Skeletor and his warriors, for breaking Grayskull's spell, for eliminating the goblin army, for opening the Dark Hemisphere to the light, for returning the crown jewels to us, and most of all, for saving my father's life."

The camp crowd goes wild with cheering now, and a chant of " **ETERNIA! ETERNIA!** " rises up to the morning sky. This is one hell of a pep rally. I am seriously impressed with Adam and Teela's tag-team leadership skills.

Teela approaches me, and offers her hand to help me stand. She slips an arm around me, and says privately, "We need to talk up at the house." And so we make our way up the camp trail with Adam just behind us. Inwardly, I marvel: my son's transformation is complete.


	24. Chapter 24

_Author's note: Rated M just to be safe - violence is mentioned._

"And to think it was just three mornings ago when you called me to your bedside and told me to propose to Teela! You have some explaining to do, Mother!" Adam is in a cheerful mood.

"Well, darling, I did have some help along the way." I squeeze Teela's hand. "By the way, where are we going?"

"Meeting the Masters up in Adora's room," answers Adam, opening the door of the house for me and his wife.

"I think half of them are already there - I saw them all asleep there not long ago. Adam, Teela, how are you, darlings? I mean, how are you, really? So much has happened -"

Teela stops on the stairs and turns to me, gazing into my eyes. "Mom. We're well. Adam and I have each other. We're doing what we've been trained to do. We're concerned about you...and Randor...and what you've been through. We're here for you right now." And there on the stairs, I get a group hug from the two of them. I blink away a flurry of tears.

"So are you going to tell me what the problems were at camp last night?" I ask, needing to change the subject.

"Sexual misconduct," Adam says matter-of-factly. Seeing my expression, he quickly adds, "Don't worry, we rounded up the perpetrators before anyone was seriously hurt, and I sentenced them all to bury the dead of the villages with the roughest drill sergeant I could find. They'll be back in a month feeling humble and grateful." We all chuckle at that.

Everyone's awake in Adora's room. She's nursing her hungry baby, while the Masters look away awkwardly. As soon as I walk in, she lets me have it. "Mother! I don't know what you were thinking, having sex in the ICU! Amanda is furious! How could you do that, after all she's done for us? You could have hurt Father! You could have made his injuries worse! Why - ?"

"What are you talking about, Adora?"

"Oh, don't even try to deny it, Mother! Those other patients are all asking for conjugal visits and special services from the nurses now! They were all congratulating Father and making crude jokes -"

"Now darling, I won't apologize for loving your father! But they were all asleep, Adora. We stayed under the blankets and didn't make any noise, they couldn't have known…"

"Oh, they knew, Mother! You kept them awake all night with your snoring, and just when things quieted down, you got it on with Father. It was obvious what you were doing. Amanda's ready to throw you off her property, but I talked her out if it! She's setting up a tent outside for you now, and she's limiting your access to the house. I just can't believe you pulled a stunt like that, Mother. Honestly." Baby Mira de-latches and starts to fuss, and Adam swoops in to scoop up his niece. The Masters grumble, and a few of them make comments under their breath about her exposed breast.

"If you don't like it, get the fuck out of **my** room, because that's how I feed **my** baby," Adora snaps at them, rearranging her shirt. I decide to give Adora a free pass to say whatever she wants for the next few months.

"Speaking of stunts, Mother," Adam begins, but he's interrupted by the door opening. A nurse wheels in Randor, announcing that he can talk a little now, and that the healers will visit our tent later for more reconstructive healing.

"The king is healing more quickly than any of us expected," she concludes. "He's full of surprises today." With that, the nurse winks at me and leaves the room.

We all fuss over Randor, and make sure he's comfortable. "Darling Randy, I was about to tell the story to answer all your questions," I tell him, kissing him on the cheek. "I suppose I should start with the plan for Operation Squirrel…"

The door opens again, and this time Duncan bursts in, laughing as he surveys the group. "Randor, you old dog! Booted out of the ICU for lewd behavior! Well done, soldier!" He pats Randor on the shoulder in his merriment, and they share a laugh. It is funny, after all, but I won't even giggle for fear of re-awakening Adora's wrath. She's busy glaring at the men. Duncan continues, "And Marlena, you clever minx - morale has never been higher among the troops!"

Minx? Time to change the subject. "As I was saying, before Duncan decided to grace us with his presence," I continue, smiling at Man-At-Arms, who is now showing Adam the correct way to burp a newborn, "I have a story to tell. And someone had better take notes. Orko! Summon an autopen and notebook."

 _*Two hours later...*_

Our tent is new and spacious, with a relatively large, thick sleeping mat lined with fur. There are a few stools, a low table, storage bins and supplies lined up against one side. As far as tents go, it's a palace. Of course, anywhere I spend the night with Randor is a palace, as far as I'm concerned.

Duncan is wheeling Randor down to the tent, and I can hear their raucous banter as they approach. Together, we help my husband relieve himself in a chamberpot before settling him comfortably in the bed. Duncan prattles on, explaining how he personally combed through maps we brought back from Snake Mountain and interpreted what he read there. "It'll take years to visit every site that Skeletor marked, to recover any artifacts or portals that he left behind, and to neutralize the magical energy," he says. "Skeletor knew he wasn't immortal, and we know he took extraordinary measures to extend his lifespan. We need to make sure other sorcerers don't take advantage of the remnants of his power..."

I've heard our Man-At-Arms talk and laugh more over the course of this morning than in the previous twenty years.

"Sounds like a quest for you and your bride," Randor interjects. He's starting to look sleepy, like he wants to shut down this conversation.

"Or for you and your bride," Duncan quips.

"Speaking of Teela-Na, is she trading in your old basic training tent for something larger?"

Duncan smiles wryly. "She didn't complain last night. Neither did I." Then he looks at me. "Marlena, she wants to visit you later today."

Ugh. I do not want to talk to Teela-Na. "Why?" I ask point-blank. My blood pressure rises at the thought of all of her secrets, memory wipes, hexes and deceptions through the years. My head hurts.

Duncan's expression turns serious. "Teela-Na has something to tell you. Something to resolve."

"I wish her peace. If it will bring her peace, then let her come." That's about the most welcoming thing I can think to say. Duncan accepts it for what it is, then he excuses himself so that Randor can rest.

While my husband naps, I sort through our supplies, and someone brings me a bowl of soup for lunch. I'm just finishing the last dregs of soup when a voice outside my tent says, "Marlena?"

It's her. I put down my empty bowl. "Come in, Teela-Na." I move a stool near the entrance for her. She enters quietly, and sits. For a few seconds we just look at each other. The former Sorceress still appears young and fresh-faced, but for the first time, I notice two strands of silver hair in the locks that drape diagonally across her forehead and are tucked behind her ear. I wonder how much of her magic remains and how much of my stream of consciousness she can still hear.

She grins. "I can't hear everything," she says, "I never could, you know. Only in the right conditions. But I know enough to say with confidence that you did not tell the full story this morning up in Adora's room."

I can't believe she's acting like we're still friends. "Why did you want to see me, Teela-Na?"

A flicker of sadness quickly passes across her eyes. Randor mumbles in his sleep next to me, and Teela-Na raises a hand toward him. "He will go into a deeper sleep until I exit the tent. I am here for two reasons, Marlena. First: to thank you for setting me free. You promised me you would, but I didn't truly believe it possible. I am humbled by your power and grace. Second: to tell you that you have it all wrong between us. The truth will come forward when you are ready, but it will be painful."

My temples are throbbing now. When did I ever promise her that I'd set her free? What is she talking about? I'm so angry! "What are you doing to me, Sorceress? Are you erasing my memory like you did to the others? Why did you let me keep my memory all these years, only to wipe it clean now? Why didn't you just start with modifying my mind first?" I reach out one hand to grab her - but the look on her face - suddenly I understand, and the pain seems to split my forehead into two pieces. _That bitch did alter my memory._ I fall forward onto my knees, clutching my head. "Why did you do this to me? When?" I ask in desperation.

She's on her knees, hugging me, and I'm too weak to fight her off. Her soothing voice speaks gently into my ear, "You yourself begged me to lift away the memories, you said it was the only way you would have the strength to seek justice, to make sure it did not happen to others. It isn't my magic now. You chose to forget, only you can choose to remember. It's your own willpower, seeking the truth, reconstructing the past. I did everything you asked me to do for you, and I lost your friendship in the process. But I would do it all again, Marlena. For you, my friend, for you." Her voice cracks in a sob.

 _What could be so terrible that I would choose to forget?_

The graves of my six stillborn babies haunt me. In that moment, I know that they weren't stillborn - I chose that lie because it was easier to bear than the truth. Images of murdered children, my children, fill my mind. Horror and hopelessness drown me. "No!" I gasp. "Make it stop! Teela-Na, help me!"

"I can't. I don't have that kind of magic anymore, Marlena. Your mind has unlocked the truth, and I can't lock it away again. I'm so sorry."

I'm hyperventilating, and adrenaline is pumping through me. Meanwhile, the pictures and feelings slowly connect to form a narrative in my head: _nine months after our afternoon on the beach at Rakashma, Randor and I had a healthy daughter, Mira. A comfort to our hearts after losing Adora to kidnapping. She was a cherished companion for Adam and Teela, and she always preferred to sit on her daddy's lap at court, wise and attentive even as a toddler. Mira had dark hair and eyes like Randor, and she was the apple of his eye. Our joy grew with the arrival of twin sons, RanMar and LenaDor, rambunctious boys who idolized their brother Adam. When Adam was nine and Mira was six, we welcomed another pair of twins, a son named Glenn and a daughter named Sky, both even more beautiful than their siblings. That was when the rumors about Skeletor arose in the Dark Hemisphere. We strengthened our defenses, physical and magical, but strange things kept happening near the Mystic Wall. I became pregnant again just before Adam's eleventh birthday, and it was a pregnancy troubled by pains and bleeding that I'd never before experienced. The baby came a month early, and I suffered heavy hemorrhaging. Our son Tristan was blue - and even gray at the extremities - and he perished after struggling to take a few breaths. But I only caught a glimpse of this, as the healers had to do an emergency hysterectomy to save my life. Randor was torn apart, and I could do nothing to comfort him. Then suddenly, our youngest twins were murdered in their sleep, their throats slit with signs of dark magic around them. We took the surviving children to our mountain retreat, and there we lost our twin boys under similar circumstances. Randor and I agreed to separate so that he could save Mira, but within days, she, too, passed away at our beach house in the same way. Six children all dead within two weeks. Only Adam was unharmed, because we had allowed the protective power of Grayskull to be concealed in him as an infant. In my weakened state, I swore that I would get justice for all the innocents - not just my children, but all the victims of dark magic - no matter how long it took. Randor returned to me a broken man, speaking of suicide as a sweet release. That's when I turned to my close friend, Teela-Na. "Lessen the pain just a little, my friend, so that we can go on with this life. Change my memory so that I can focus on the work that needs to be done. Pull my husband out of the darkness. It's too much. Please, my friend, please, I beg you...we can't go on like this…" I promised to get her out of Grayskull and back with her husband and daughter. I hounded her until she relented. She hid what needed to be hidden. I jokingly told Teela-Na to give our libido a rocket boost whenever the memories came close to surfacing, and she did that, too. She didn't completely eliminate the memory of our children, but made it so that the sorrow was somehow bearable, so that it brought Randor and me closer together...but it also meant the end of my friendship with her. In time, I gained strength, creating my own intense physical conditioning program while spending hours in the lab, researching, inventing. My only goal was to crush the dark magic that gripped Eternia in its deadly embrace. And now that my goal has been achieved, my memory has restored itself._

My headache diminishes somewhat, but my heartache increases a hundredfold. The grief is so heavy that I can't even cry. I have a weird feeling of surreality.

"Forgive me, Marlena, please," Teela-Na says with tears streaming down her lovely cheeks. "I know we can never go back, but please say you'll forgive me someday."

"I - I don't know." I respond, and I start moving back toward the bed. I feel sick all over. I need to lie down. Teela-Na helps tuck me into bed, and I just lie there, stunned. _Did I really plan all of this? It certainly seems that way._

"What about about him?" I ask, looking at my slumbering husband. "Will he remember, too?"

"I can lift the hex from him," Teela-Na says gently, "If that is what you wish. It was not his choice to forget, but the burden will be lighter if you share it together. Without Grayskull, my magic is only strong enough to warm up a cup of tea, but I can still remove my own hexes." I nod. She holds her hand over Randor's head for a moment, and then sits quietly beside me.

I don't know how much time passes, but eventually some healers come in to treat Randor, and Teela-Na leaves. I'm neither awake nor asleep. Randor startles himself awake with a frightened look on his face. A single tear slides out of the corner of his eye. "The children -" he starts.

"It wasn't a nightmare," I tell him. "They're memories. Our children -" And then I can't stop weeping. Randor and I hold each other as the shadows begin to lengthen around us. People come and go from our tent, checking on Randor, bringing food, trying to talk to me, but I'm not fully aware of what's happening. I hear someone say, "Her body is fully healed, but not her spirit." Eventually I slip into a restless sleep.

The gray light of dawn illuminates the walls of the tent around me, and my mind is swirling with thoughts of my granddaughter, my children, my future and my past. I have no idea what to do in the present. I can hear Duncan's loud laughter far off in the camp. He, too, has known great sorrow and many losses. And yet he is also capable of immense joy.

I roll onto my side and watch my husband's profile for many minutes - or is it hours? - until he, too, awakens. His face is still scarred, but the swelling has gone down, and he's beginning to look a bit more like the man I've loved these twenty years. He, too, rolls onto his side and gazes at me, stroking my cheek and my hair.

"Where do we go from here?" I ask.

He answers, "I suppose we ought to start by being truthful. No more secrets. Tell me, Molly, why did you do it?" His tone is tender, loving.

"In chess, the queen's duty is to protect the king," I tell him. "I would do anything for you, darling. Anything."

"This isn't a game, my dear." He kisses my cheek softly.

"I know. It's just -" I'm not sure what to say. "Yesterday, Teela said that a true warrior protects the innocent and vulnerable. That's what -"

"So you're still protecting me? Are you still keeping secrets from me, Molly? Even now?" His tone is almost teasing, and he holds my gaze steadily, until I have to turn away because it hurts so much.

"I...I…" I don't even know where to start. I've hidden so many things, but I've never been directly dishonest with my husband.

Randor takes my hand, and his face is full of tenderness. "Molly." he begins, "Have you ever considered that the roles may be reversed here? That it has been my duty and my privilege to protect you, to prevent your capture? That you are, in fact, Eternia's most valuable asset?" I frown.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Gently, Randor presses my chin to angle my face back toward his. "After all these years, my love? You're still afraid to tell me that you named our firstborn after your old time-traveling, astronaut boyfriend?"

It's as if all the air has been squeezed out of my lungs. My husband was onto me all along: Twenty years. Randor knew how we both fit into the grand jigsaw puzzle of Eternian history. He loved me, stayed with me, helped me, protected me, was willing to give up his life for me. I'm just gaping at him. Wide-eyed. Speechless.

Grinning lopsidedly, he traces the outline of my face with his forefinger and taps the tip of my nose. He simply says, "Checkmate."

 *****END*****

 _Author's note: Thank you, gentle readers, for your patience and support over the past year. This story started as an homage to the classic fanfic "Molly Glenn, Offline," widely beloved for its bonkers style. I recommend googling it and enjoying it fully on a summer's evening. There are a few original characters in this story that I invented just to flesh out the plot, but almost all characters are mentioned at least briefly in the old Filmation series or were action figures at some point in time. Every single canonical or original character has a huge backstory inside my head that fits into the history of Eternia. One of my biggest problems with the MOTU universe is that the people of Eternia all speak English and are genetically compatible with Earth astronaut Marlena Glenn (yes, I had a problem with this even when I was a kid watching cartoons with my brothers), so I had to invent a backstory to explain that. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me for this ride. Please leave comments and encouragement - I do read and appreciate them very much. FYI, I absolutely intended for the story to be funny, weird, gross and campy - but most of all, it's a celebration of the amazing, wildly brilliant character Marlena Glenn. I hope others will write fanfics in a similar vein, and I can't wait to see the new MOTU movie at the end of 2019._


End file.
